Politico: The nation's 12 hottest House races

By: Mike Allen and Alexander Burns and Alexander Trowbridge


October 18, 2010 09:02 AM EDT

With two weeks to go before the midterms, these are the dozen races that political professionals are watching most closely — races that will be used as bellwethers on how big a night Republicans are heading for Nov. 2:



1) AL-02: First-term incumbent and former Montgomery Mayor Rep. Bobby Bright (D) v. Montgomery City Councilwoman Martha Roby (R). Bright’s got the right voting record – and the wrong party label – for his conservative district.



2) AZ-05: Two-term incumbent Rep. Harry Mitchell (D) faces David Schweikert (R), a former state politician and owner of a real estate business. District includes the northeastern suburbs of Phoenix and the city of Tempe. A former mayor, Mitchell is the stronger candidate but Schweikert has a national and in-state tailwind that strongly favors the GOP. 



3) FL-22: Two-term incumbent Rep. Ron Klein (D), who knocked off Clay Shaw in 2006, faces Allen West (R), a retired Army lieutenant colonel (and African-American Tea Partier) in a district that runs along the southeast coast of Florida, including the Palm Beach area. West’s online following has helped erase one of Klein’s strongest assets: his formidable fundraising. (See: GOP candidates flush for Senate bids)



4) IN-09: Five-term incumbent Rep. Baron Hill (D) faces attorney Todd Young (R). District includes Bloomington. For the first time in a decade, Hill is running for Congress with an opponent other than ex-Rep. Mike Sodrel, giving the GOP a more effective outsider candidate as their nominee.



5) IL-17: Two-term incumbent and former union leader Phil Hare (D) faces pizzeria owner Bobby Schilling (R). District includes parts of Springfield. Hare has never faced a serious challenge in this Democratic-friendly district, which he took over for his then-boss, outgoing Rep. Lane Evans, in 2006. (See: The Democrats' brutal weekend)



6) MI-07: A rematch between freshman Rep. Mark Schauer (D) and former Rep. Tim Walberg (R), whom he ousted in 2008. Walberg, a Club for Growth favorite, said recently that he didn’t know if President Barack Obama was a U.S. citizen. District includes Battle Creek and part of Lansing.

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