Democrats Allowed 24 Republican House Candidates to Run Unopposed

Democrats did not field candidates against 24 Republican nominations for the House of Representatives in the recent midterm elections. As a result, some candidates ran totally unopposed.

Republicans will have a majority in the House when the next Congress convenes in January but it's not clear how slim the margins will be following disappointing results for the GOP.

Some Republican candidates breezed to election victories as they faced no challenger at all, while others were opposed by third-party figures with little prospect of winning last week.

Fred Wellman, who describes himself on Twitter as a pro-democracy advocate, questioned why Democrats had decided not to run candidates in certain races.

"24 unopposed Republican candidates for the House. Candidates that did take on tough races like MTG smeared for raising money and giving their best. The 'pro-democracy' PAC's sat them all out. We deserve better," Wellman wrote.

He was highlighting a tweet from activist Andrew Wortman, who also questioned why Democrats hadn't fielded candidates in certain races and focused in particular on Republican Representative Paul Gosar.

Gosar, a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump who represents Arizona's 9th district, is a controversial right-wing congressman.

He led a challenge to the certification of Arizona's 2020 Electoral College votes on January 6, 2021 along with Senator Ted Cruz and he was later criticized in 2022 by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for attending a white nationalist conference.

Gosar was unopposed in the 9th district, which was previously designated the 4th district. In 2020, Gosar defeated Democrat Delina DiSanto by a 39-point margin.

While 24 Republican House candidates didn't have Democratic opponents, six Democrats didn't face opposition from the GOP. A total of 36 races had a candidate from just one of the two major parties, and three Democrats faced no opponent at all.

Fourteen Republicans had no opponent and 10 faced only a third-party challenge, while three Democrats also faced a third-party candidate but no Republican nominee. In six districts, Democratic candidates faced other Democrats but no Republicans.

Voters could also have backed write-in candidates where that was permitted by law.

Gosar's Republican colleague in Arizona's 8th district, Debbie Lesko, was also unopposed with the exception of write-in candidates. In 2020, she defeated Democrat Michael Muscato by a margin of more than 19 percent.

Lesko and Gosar are perhaps the most well-known House incumbents who didn't face a major party challenger in 2022.

Thomas Gift, founding director of University College London's Centre on U.S. Politics, told Newsweek that Democrats may have had good reason not to contest races they believed they were likely to lose.

"Funneling money, energy, and attention into races where Democrats have no shot at winning only diverts resources from contests that are in play," Gift said.

"While there's something to be said for running a candidate on principle—especially against 'ultra-MAGA' Republicans like Paul Gosar—there are risks," he said.

"Besides using up scarce resources, it's hard to find candidates willing to be a sacrificial lamb," Gift went on. "And even if these candidates do exist, any wrong moves they make—including gaffes, scandals, or indiscretions—reflect negatively on the party. Getting thrashed in a general election also isn't the best look for the Democratic Party."