House Speaker John Boehner admits there is a decent chance that Republicans could lose the House of Representatives in the fall elections.
In a Fox News interview broadcast on Tuesday, Boehner said there is a one in three chance that Democrats could re-take Congress's lower chamber.
"I'd say there is a two in three chance that we win control of the House again. But there is a one in three chance that we could lose," Boehner said. "We've got a big challenge and we've got work to do."
Democrats need to pick up 26 seats to regain control of the House, which they won in 2006 but lost in 2010. In the Senate, Democrats hold a 53-47 seat advantage but are more at risk this year because they have several more seats up for re-election than Republicans. There is therefore a considerable chance that both houses of Congress could flip to the other party.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, head of the Democratic National Committee, told CNN on Tuesday that Boehner's prediction was "entirely reasonable."
"We're working hard to make sure that happens," Wasserman Schultz said. "I think that John Boehner fully recognizes — I mean, how rare is it for a speaker to even suggest — I can tell you that Nancy Pelosi would never have suggested that there was a possibility that we would lose, and so it's an indicator."
However, Wasserman Schultz also suggested that Boehner's comment was intended to spark better fundraising for House GOP candidates.
"There's no enthusiasm for their campaigns, no enthusiasm for their agenda, and they're clearly on track to very likely lose the majority after a historic victory," she said. "We're working hard and we're getting ready to win."
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