ICYMI: Cook moves O’Halleran seat to “Likely Republican”

O’Halleran’s reelection prospects are looking VERY bleak. 

Less than a week after O’Halleran announced his reelection in the new AZ-02 – a district President Trump won by 7.9 points – Cook Political Report announced it is predicting a “Likely Republican” win the race. 

Talk about the opposite of momentum! 

Here’s what people are saying about O’Halleran’s reelection chances: 

Associated Press: “The redrawn district tilts strongly toward Republicans, and voting patterns in the past nine elections cast serious doubts on O’Halleran’s prospects for reelection.”

Politico: “The state’s redistricting commission on Wednesday approved a layout that creates two true swing seats in the suburbs of Phoenix and Tucson… while very possibly dooming Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran in the northeast half of the state.”

White Mountain Independent: “The incumbent who could face the biggest hurdle is Democrat Tom O’Halleran who will be running in CD 2…”

Payson Roundup: “The incumbent Democrat will face an uphill battle in a new district with a 7% Republican advantage.”

Cook Political Report: “Although this is technically a 5-4 Biden map, it deeply imperils Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran in Northern Arizona…”

NRCC COMMENT: “Tom O’Halleran should join the dozens of other House Democrats who are retiring in 2022.” – NRCC Spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair