FACTBOX-Seven US House of Representatives races to watch in 2024

Legal battles over redistricting could play a role in the congressional maps for as many as 10 states and potentially tip control of the House. Alabama will hold primary elections on March 5, with a possible runoff on April 16.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will be defending a narrow 219-213 majority in the Nov. 5 elections, after Democrat Tom Suozzi won a Feb. 13 special election to fill the seat formerly occupied by Republican George Santos.

Below are some of the races to watch as the Republican and Democratic parties battle through 2024 for control of the chamber. ALABAMA'S SECOND DISTRICT A federal court ordered Alabama to implement a congressional map that created a second largely Black district. The decision is expected to give Democrats a rare opportunity to gain a seat in the conservative Southern state. At least 18 candidates have filed to run for the seat. Legal battles over redistricting could play a role in the congressional maps for as many as 10 states and potentially tip control of the House.

Alabama will hold primary elections on March 5, with a possible runoff on April 16. KEVIN MCCARTHY'S SUCCESSOR California's 20th Congressional District had been held by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. But after he was ousted as House leader by a band of Republican rebels who joined with Democrats to boot him from that position, McCarthy resigned from Congress at the end of 2023. The seat is unlikely to switch to Democratic control. But McCarthy's departure has set up a crowded Republican primary to succeed him, with the former speaker and former President Donald Trump endorsing Vince Fong, a former aide to McCarthy and current State Assembly member. California state election officials had said Fong was ineligible to run for the congressional seat, but a state court ruled in December that he could vie for the post.

The state will hold a primary election - which under California law is nonpartisan, unlike the party primaries held in most of the United States - on March 19. If no candidate emerges from that contest with more than 50% support, a special election to fill the seat will be held on May 21. BILL JOHNSON'S EXIT

After Bill Johnson, who was elected in 2010, stepped down to head a university in Ohio, voters will pick Republican and Democratic candidates in a March 19 primary, with the special election for the seat on June 11. Two state lawmakers are among the candidates for the Republican nomination. The district is heavily Republican.

POSSIBLE 2022 REMATCH IN OHIO Several Republicans are facing off to try to eject Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat who was initially elected in 1982 and who is the longest-serving woman in the House. One Republican who had drawn support ahead of the primary was Craig Riedel, a former state lawmaker. But he had also come under fire for negative comments he had made about Trump, with Elise Stefanik, a top House Republican, announcing she had withdrawn her endorsement over them.

A former small-town mayor and state lawmaker are also seeking the Republican nomination. J.R. Majewski had been among the most well-known Republican names vying for the seat. Majewski had faced off against Kaptur in 2022, when reporting indicated he had fabricated his combat veteran status.

Last month, Majewski vowed to remain in the race after he faced a backlash over comments he made that many considered offensive to people with intellectual disabilities. Then, on Saturday, Majewski announced he was suspending his campaign.

Ohio will hold its primary elections on March 19. LAUREN BOEBERT'S SWAP Firebrand conservative Lauren Boebert, who won an unexpectedly narrow reelection bid in 2022 and who was facing a tough primary opponent in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, has said she would run in the state's eastern 4th District instead. That is Colorado's most Republican district and is open, with lawmaker Ken Buck announcing he would not seek reelection.

Aside from Boebert, the crowded Republican primary also includes two former state senators, a radio host and the former Republican leader in the state's general assembly. The seat is not considered to be competitive for the Democrats in the general election.

Colorado's primaries are on June 25. REPUBLICAN BID TO UNSEAT PEREZ

First-term Democratic Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state is seeking reelection, after initially edging out her opponent by 1 percentage point. Hoping to face off against Perez is Joe Kent, who was the lawmaker's opponent in 2022. Kent, who had been endorsed by Trump, had challenged the results of the 2020 election and raised conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Also seeking the Republican nomination is Leslie Lewallen, a former prosecutor and member of a local city council. Washington's primaries will be held on Aug, 6.

CORI BUSH'S CHALLENGER Pro-Israel groups have sought challengers to the members of the progressive left-wing group of lawmakers known as "The Squad," but most of their opponents have so far failed to gain traction and they have been able to far outraise their opponents.

The exception is Cori Bush in Missouri. Her primary challenger, Wesley Bell, was a prosecutor and had initially announced a Senate run before shifting his sights onto her congressional seat. Though Bush has raised more money, Bell had more cash on hand at the end of the most recent cycle. Aside from Bush's criticism of Israel's handling of its war with Hamas, she has also faced scrutiny over her security spending. The seat is considered be a safe Democratic seat, with the person emerging from the Democratic primary likely to be elected in November. Missouri's primary election will be held on Aug. 6.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)