How Democrats are targeting red seats in blue New York to help win back the House

Republicans won control of the House of Representatives in 2022 with the help of a mini red wave in the blue state of New York.

Democrats lost five seats in suburban districts, mostly around New York City, as many in the party were caught off guard. This year top Democrats across the state have joined forces to try to win those seats back, potentially netting the four seats they need to win back control of the chamber.

The GOP formula in 2022 was a barrage of ads and attacks on Democrats on crime, immigration and border security. The targeted messaging energized the Republican base and depressed Democratic turnout.

Party leaders responded this year with an effort modeled on more traditional battleground states will help turn things around for them this cycle with both resources and a stepped up ground game.

New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told NPR she realized the need for the coordinated effort when she asked what candidates were doing in the week heading into the 2022 midterms and got a puzzling answer.

"There were no big rallies. There was no organized canvassing, there was no coordination at all amongst local candidates and House candidates," Gillibrand said.

Kathy Hochul, then the Democratic candidate for governor, was being attacked by her GOP opponent Lee Zeldin about rising crime rates and border security. Gillibrand says tens of millions of dollars in negative ads had a big impact on Democratic voters in suburban districts around New York City.

"We had the worst voter turnout in 10 years," Gillibrand said. Hochul won, but the wave of House losses caused Gillibrand to reach out to Democrats in Wisconsin -- a perennial battleground state -- to come up with a 2024 strategy.

"So the day after the