By Mark Blumenthal and Adam Carlson
WASHINGTON -- The Medicare proposals advocated by presumptive Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan are at the heart of the Democratic campaign to take back control of the House of Representatives. A close look at the most competitive races, via the new House Outlook section of The Huffington Post's Election Dashboard, helps explain why.
Republicans currently hold a 49-seat majority in the House; 242 seats are held by Republicans and 193 by Democrats. In order to regain a majority and put Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) back in the Speaker's chair, Democrats would need to pick up 25 seats.
A Huffington Post analysis shows that 43 of 45 incumbent Republicans regarded as vulnerable by political handicappers voted for the budget that Rep. Ryan (R-Wis.) authored as House Budget Committee chairman in 2012. All 45 voted for Ryan's budget in 2011.
Earlier this week, GOP leadership convened a conference call for its rank-and-file members. According to a source on the call who was not authorized to speak on its content, nearly every person who spoke complained that they were getting hammered at home on Medicare, looking to leadership to figure a way out of the political jam.
More: U.S. House Elections May Turn On Paul Ryan's Budget