If Democrats want to make a play for the House majority, they would need to capitalize on all the Republican retirements they possibly can. The problem is, of the 46 open seats and two vacant seats, only 30 are held by Republicans and all but 12 of those are safe Republican seats. Only eight GOP-held open seats are rated Toss Up or more vulnerable. Moreover, Democrats currently hold four open seats at serious risk of flipping to the GOP. The bright spot for Democrats is that primary season has so far produced more flawed Republican nominees. Jason Lewis, an outspoken and underfunded conservative radio host, won week's primary in MN-02, prompting a shift to Lean Democratic. Republicans also ended up with less than ideal candidates in NV-03 (Danny Tarkanian) and NY-22 (Claudia Tenney), and could end up nominating a deeply flawed candidate in AZ-01 (Paul Babeu). Then, there is the national environment and the Trump factor. Often times, open seats are the most susceptible to shifting national winds, especially when neither candidate is well-known. And there are several races that
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