Another GOP seat on the list

SACRAMENTO — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced Thursday that it’s adding Northern California’s Rep. Tom McClintock, a conservative Republican, to its list of targets in next year’s midterm elections.

The announcement is a sign of increasing confidence after Democrats won sweeping victories in Virginia and New Jersey earlier this week. The party is hoping for a wave of support that could return the House to Democratic control.

“In response to the incredible outpouring of enthusiasm and grass-roots support we are seeing across the country, Democrats are building an unprecedented battlefield in California ahead of the 2018 elections,” Drew Godinich, a spokesman for the DCCC, said in a statement.

Beating McClintock could prove difficult, whether or not there’s a wave: He’s faced little Democratic opposition since winning his seat in 2008. His 4th Congressional District includes some Sacramento suburbs, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park. Republicans have a 15-point voter-registration advantage in the district, which President Trump won by 16 points.

“To suggest the district is vulnerable is fanciful,” said Jon Huey, McClintock’s campaign manager.

Three Democrats — Regina Bateson, Roza Calderon and Jessica Morse — are running to replace McClintock.

Democrats were already going after nine other Republican-held districts in California before Thursday’s announcement. They need to flip at least a few of them in order to take back control of the House.