Nunes Holds on to Lead While gap Swiftly Closes

While there are numerous congressional races throughout the state that appear to be locked down for certain candidates, there are just as many races that remain in a frenzy. One of the not-so-normal battle ground district competitors fighting to the very end is none other than Devin Nunes (R-Clovis).

That’s right, according to a new study, the current House Intelligence Chair and 8 term incumbent is under increasing pressure to keep his seat as the Cook Political Report – a nonpartisan newsletter has demoted his Valley district from “solid” Republican to “likely” Republican.

This comes as huge news for CD 22 challenger Andrew Janz and his supporters. According to the study, the Democratic representative remains in the hunt as this race “has the potential to become engaged.”

Though the district might be shifting towards Democratic favoritism, the study still picks Nunes to come away with victory despite the growing animosity. Earlier this month, the California Globe explained how Janz was looking to defeat Nunes with the help of DCCC funding. Together, the candidates have combined to raise more money than any other congressional race in the country at over $20 million.

The report says “Nunes’s controversial handling of the House Intelligence Committee’s Russia probe has helped Democratic prosecutor Andrew Janz raise $8.3 million and helped Nunes raise $11.8 million. As a result, voters in the cheap Fresno market are drowning in negative ads.”

The June primary proved to be a major victory for Nunes as he swept Janz by 26 points. However, “a new Change Research survey conducted for the pro-Democratic group Fight Back CA found Nunes leading by just 51 percent to 46 percent.”

The pollster reconciles that Latinos in the districts are making a major impact as they are “awakening in the closing weeks.”