the battle for the house of representatives can be hard to follow on election night, involving three dozen swing seats scattered across the country among 435 total races. analysts say democrats will win anywhere from five to 20 seat s, short of the 30 they need to regain control of the chamber. here are some of the bellwether races to watch: rep. darrell issa (r) vs. doug applegate (d) california<u+2019>s 49th congressional district the struggle for survival by rep. issa, an eight-term congressman, makes for one of the highest-profile house races. mr. applegate, running as an outsider, is a former marine colonel whose middle-class life contrasts with mr. issa<u+2019>s status as the richest man in congress. mr. issa is a staunch donald trump supporter and critic of president barack obama, but he has tried to tack the other way in the campaign, circulating mailers that highlight his work with mr. obama. the president called that tactic <u+201c>the definition of chutzpah.<u+201d> rep. john mica (r) vs. stephanie murphy (d) florida<u+2019>s seventh congressional district rep. mica, 73, faces a significant challenge in battling the 38-year-old ms. murphy, who works at an investment firm and teaches at a local college. the district was recently redrawn, putting mr. mica into a suburban area with a younger, more racially diverse population that tends to align with democrats. rep. will hurd (r) vs. pete gallego (d) texas<u+2019> 23rd congressional district former rep. pete gallego is trying to retake a seat he lost in 2014, when republicans swept the midterm elections. the race is unfolding in a heavily latino district that shares a more than 800-mile border with mexico, and the rematch will be closely watched for signs that democrats are being helped by hispanic outrage at mr. trump<u+2019>s positions and remarks on immigration. rep. rick nolan (d) vs. stewart mills (r) minnesota<u+2019>s eighth congressional district rep. nolan is in a tight race with mr. mills, who in 2014 tried to oust him but lost amid a fuss over his shoulder-length hair. this time around, mr. mills has cut his hair and cast himself as a conservative, to benefit from mr. trump<u+2019>s popularity among the white working-class voters who populate the district. rep. barbara comstock (r) vs. luann bennett (d) virginia<u+2019>s 10th congressional district rep. comstock aims to hang on to this district, which spans exurban and suburban areas outside washington, d.c., by putting the maximum distance between herself and mr. trump. last month, she said she couldn<u+2019>t in good conscience vote for the gop presidential nominee. republicans have fought hard to keep the seat; house speaker paul ryan (r., wis.) has campaigned with ms. comstock multiple times and raised money for her. democrats have poured in millions to boost ms. bennett, who runs a real-estate company. write to siobhan hughes at siobhan.hughes@wsj.com
five key house races to watch - wsj
siobhan hughes