Republicans say they are in grave danger of losing the seat of former House majority leader Tom DeLay (Tex.), as well as those held by Rep. Robert W. Ney (Ohio) — who agreed to plead guilty to corruption charges in the investigation into the activities of convicted former lobbyist Jack Abramoff — and Rep. Don Sherwood (Pa.), who has been embroiled in a scandal over an affair.

In addition, Republicans have largely given up on holding the seat of retiring Rep. Jim Kolbe (Ariz.), and strategists are pessimistic about retaining open seats in Colorado and Iowa and the seat now held by Rep. John N. Hostettler (Ind.). ~The Washington Post

The Red Republicans are close to giving up on five of the most hotly contested 15 races and trying to save themselves in the other close contests.  But what this scandal likely will do is broaden the field of competitive races and give the Democrats opportunities–besides the obvious bonus in FL-16–that no one expected them to have.

The 9/27 Evans-Novak report listed Sherwood’s seat as leaning to the GOP, but the Post‘s reporting suggests that this is probably not correct.  “Grave danger of losing” a seat does not equal a GOP-leaning seat.  Ditto for OH-18, Ney’s seat, which the Post puts in this same category of “grave danger” and which Evans-Novak lists as Republican-leaning.  Reynolds’ seat (NY-26) has to be considered vulnerable at this point.  Those three right there put the Democrats over the top.  We are likely to see a number of these close races shift more in the Dems’ favour as the past few days’ revelations spread and sink in throughout the country.  Watch Heather Wilson to be one of the candidates to sink in coming weeks.