Mike Honda faces a strong primary challenge in his California district. 10 must-watch House races

Republicans head into the midterm election with the clear upper hand in the battle for control of the House. Political handicappers give Democrats virtually no shot at erasing the 17-seat deficit separating them from the speaker’s gavel.

But that doesn’t mean there will be a shortage of races with fascinating dynamics. From a primary pitting Silicon Valley against the Democratic establishment, to an upstate New York race featuring an openly gay venture capitalist with a Rolodex of famous friends, to a Georgia race in which a savvy Democratic pol will be put to the test, this year will spotlight dozens of headline-grabbing races. And it won’t take long for the action to begin: A March special election for a Florida congressional seat will attract plenty of attention from both parties.


Here’s POLITICO’s look at the 10 most intriguing House races of 2014.

( PHOTOS: 10 must-watch House races in 2014)

California’s 17th District

Democratic Rep. Mike Honda, known in Capitol Hill circles as a genial, grandfatherly figure, hasn’t had to worry much about winning reelection in the past. But he does now. The seven-term, 72-year-old congressman has drawn a primary challenge from Ro Khanna, a 37-year-old lawyer and former U.S. Commerce Department official.

The race has exposed a divide between the ascendant Silicon Valley community, which has rallied to Khanna’s side, and the old guard Democratic and labor establishment, which is sticking by the incumbent. While Khanna has the backing of tech honchos such as entrepreneur Sean Parker, Yahoo! CEO Marissa Maye r and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Honda has endorsements from the likes of President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Under California’s newly implemented jungle primary system, the top two finishers in the June 3 primary will advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. That means Honda and Khanna are almost certain to go two rounds in the brutal contest.

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California’s 52nd District

Republicans have one of their best recruits in Carl DeMaio, an openly gay former San Diego councilman and one-time mayoral candidate who’s looks like the perfect fit for this coastal, middle-of-the-road district that’s occupied by freshman Democratic Rep. Scott Peters.

DeMaio’s path isn’t easy — he’s running as a moderate at a time when his party’s congressional wing has veered sharply to the right. But he’s not been afraid to distance himself from the conservatives: He’s attacked his party for advocating an approach during the budget negotiations that led to the government shutdown.

Colorado’s 6th District

GOP Rep. Mike Coffman squeaked out a narrow reelection in 2012 over a flawed Democratic opponent. In 2014, Coffman’s fight will be far harder. He’s facing Democrat Andrew Romanoff, a prominent pol who served as state House speaker and who waged an unsuccessful 2010 Senate bid.

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Immigration reform could play a big role in this suburban Denver district, where Hispanics make up nearly 20 percent of all residents. Coffman recently softened his stance on immigration, stating his support for a comprehensive reform package that includes a pathway to legalization for the children of illegal immigrants.

Florida’s 2nd District

The South hasn’t been friendly territory for Democrats during the Obama era. But this year the party has a legitimate shot at knocking off GOP Rep. Steve Southerland, a sophomore tea party leader from the Florida Panhandle. That’s because Democrats have a blue-chip recruit in Gwen Graham, a Leon County schools administrator and the daughter of former Sen. Bob Graham.

Taking out the incumbent won’t be easy — Southerland has the benefit of running for reelection in a Republican-friendly district that Mitt Romney won with 52 percent of the vote. But Southerland’s reputation as a weak fundraiser, coupled with his vote against the deal to reopen the federal government, leaves him vulnerable.

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Florida’s 13th District

The March 11 special election for the St. Petersburg-area seat will be closely read as a barometer for the national political environment. The seat, held for more than four decades by the late GOP Rep. Bill Young, is nearly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. There aren’t too many districts more competitive than this one.

It’s Democrats who head into the race with the upper hand. While they have a strong candidate in Alex Sink, the former state chief financial officer and 2010 gubernatorial nominee, Republicans find themselves picking between two less-than-impressive contenders in a Jan. 14 primary.

Georgia’s 12th District

For Republicans, there’s no more elusive target than Georgia Rep. John Barrow — the last white Democrat to represent Congress in the Deep South and a masterful campaigner.

Even after GOP legislators shoved Barrow into a deeply conservative district, the congressman managed to comfortably win reelection in 2012. Barrow ran one of the best TV ads of the election, showing off a Smith & Wesson gun that he said his father used to stop a lynching. The spot ingeniously appealed to conservative gun owners and to black voters who make up around one-third of the district.

In 2014, the congressman is likely to face Republican Rick Allen, a construction company owner who GOP officials insist will be a much more formidable opponent than Barrow’s last one.

Idaho’s 2nd District

The fierce battle between the insurgent and establishment wings of the Republican Party is playing out in a May 20 primary for an east Idaho congressional seat. In one corner is GOP Rep. Mike Simpson, an Appropriations Committee cardinal and close ally of House Speaker John Boehner. In the other is Bryan Smith, an attorney who’s won the backing of the anti-tax Club for Growth.

Smith is far and away the most serious opponent Simpson has faced in his eight-term career. But Simpson isn’t going to be caught flat-footed: He’s upping his fundraising game and hawking an endorsement from Mitt Romney, a plus in a Mormon-heavy district.

Massachusetts’s 6th District

Democratic Rep. John Tierney survived a brutal 2012 reelection race, narrowly fending off former state Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei, the most serious Republican opponent of his career. Tierney’s wife had recently pleaded guilty to helping her brother file false tax returns in connection with an illegal gambling ring, and the episode left the incumbent hamstrung.

Tisei has launched a rematch, and this time around Tierney won’t have the benefit of running with Obama and Sen. Elizabeth Warren on the top of the ticket. Tierney also will have to survive a Sept. 9 primary challenge from Seth Moulton, a Harvard-educated Marine Corps veteran who has hired a talented campaign team.

Nevada’s 3rd District

Rep. Joe Heck is one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the nation. In 2012, as Obama pulled off a narrow plurality in the evenly split district, Heck managed to win reelection, thanks to having a weak Democratic opponent.

In 2014, however, he’ll be facing a serious foe in Erin Bilbray, a Democratic operative. She’ll be certain to get a helping hand from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has a personal stake in the race. If Heck loses, he’ll be weakened as a potential Reid challenger in 2016.

New York’s 19th District

There’s no candidate who’s attracting as much star power as Democrat Sean Eldridge, the venture capitalist and husband of New Republic publisher and Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes. Eldridge has received donations from the likes of Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner and Project Runway star Tim Gunn.

Eldridge won’t have any shortage of cash in his bid to unseat sophomore GOP Rep. Chris Gibson. He has already raised nearly $1 million — surpassing the incumbent. But if Eldridge has a weakness in this race, it’s the rap that his tie to the upstate New York district he’s competing for is tenuous. It wasn’t until January 2013 that Eldridge purchased a home in the district.