WaPo: DCCC expanding target list after Tuesday's results

[Hoosier_Nick]

Anyone think IN-05 is a possibility?  It's home to affluent suburbs like Carmel, Fishers, and Noblesville.  If Virginia on Tuesday night taught us anything...

Zero chance. It'd be a waste of resources to try, honestly. While the fifth does have the northern suburbs which, by themselves might have a chance at flipping, the rural northern part of the district (north and east of Cicero) make flipping it considerably more difficult. Plus, enough of the voters LOVE Brooks, far more than nutcase Dan Burton.

Probably, but Dems should at least try.  It might motivate people to turn out in what is normally a state with piss-poor political participation.

It could very well be worthwhile to build party infrastructure in the area. Hamilton County is developing at a pretty fast pace and assuming Indianapolis continues to grow and attract younger people who then move to the area. It could be competitive in 5-10 years, maybe.

I mean, who would have thought that a transgender woman would defeat a conservative Christian activist in VIRGINIA of all places?! 

Seriously...the DCCC should recruit someone for IN-05.  You just never know.

I wish Christina Hale would have run, but she isn't and won't. I can't really think of anyone else from the district who would be strong. All the current candidates are weak.

If we could get someone good, even then it would be really hard to beat Brooks. Unlike the 9th, the 5th isn't ancestrally Democratic, but actually the opposite. Regardless, Brooks is a great fit for the district and it's hard to see her losing. Solid R.

[Hoosier_Nick]

The big issue with IN-5 is that even if Hamilton County flips; that's not enough to really flip the district itself.  If there is a big suburban swing against Republicans, then sure Hamilton county is the type of county you might see going to the Democrats by like a 52-48 margin on an exceptionally good night (a night which 2018 might provide).  The issue is the rest of the district isn't the same type of suburban make-up and thus a slight win in Hamilton county wouldn't be enough to tip the district itself.

Still, as a resident of the district/Hamilton county I'm hoping for the best and really wanting the Democrats to contest it anyway.

Agreed. And even if the opponent runs up the margin in Marion County too, it's doubtful that the northern part of the district wouldn't just cancel it out. But let's be real here: getting a practical tie in Hamilton would be hard enough as-is.