Republicans’ defense of the ‘Biden 16’ House districts starts with Pennsylvania’s primary election

By MIKE CATALINI and MARC LEVY
Associated Press

NEW HOPE, Pa. (AP) — Mark Houck’s campaign to unseat Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania’s GOP primary could offer hints about swing-district party sentiment in a heated presidential election year. The congressional district in suburban Philadelphia is one of 16 nationwide that Democrat Joe Biden carried in 2020 where voters also sent Republicans to Washington. The Republicans’ House majority is so slim that Democrats need to flip just four seats to retake control. That makes the “Biden 16” a significant group of competitive seats. In November, many of those Republicans will face the same Democrat they beat in 2022, sometimes narrowly. Nearly all 16 races are considered toss-ups.