If there's any confusion as to which House Democrats are most worried about their coming races, a pair of rock-vs-hard place votes this week ought to help clear things up.
One of the advantages of controlling a legislative chamber is the ability to schedule votes designed to put vulnerable members of the opposing party on the spot. That's what House Republicans did this week in what could be the final two such votes heading into the November mid-terms.
The first came on a non-binding resolution condemning President Obama for swapping five Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay for an American soldier being held in Afghanistan; the second was the 53rd vote House Republicans have held to repeal or weaken Obama's signature first-term achievement, the Affordable Care Act.
Thirteen Democrats bucked their party and voted yes on both.
The list doesn't necessarily reflect every Democrat in a district with tough demographics, or a Democrat facing an exceptionally strong Republican opponent. But it does include a who's who of endangered House Democrats, as well as Michigan Democrat Gary Peters, who represents a safe Democratic district but is running statewide for Senate. It also includes Utah's Jim Matheson who represents a solidly conservative district and is not running for re-election.
If one good way of determining which Democrats are in trouble is by asking via the tough vote, these are the Democrats who essentially raised their hands.
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