The National Republican Congressional Committee announced Tuesday that five Republican candidates in Florida and North Carolina have joined its MAGA Majority program as the party works to defend its narrow House majority and compete for Democratic-held seats in November.

NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., announced the additions of Dan Green, Mike Beltran, Casey Askar, Scott Singer and Jennifer Balkcom. The latest additions bring the program's roster to 27 candidates. The MAGA Majority program, formerly known as the Young Guns program, provides selected Republican candidates with early campaign support, strategic resources and increased visibility in competitive congressional races.

Four of the five candidates are running in Florida, where Republicans are seeking to capitalize on a newly redrawn congressional map. The new map favors Republicans in 24 of the state's 28 congressional districts, according to CQ Roll Call.

Green, a Navy veteran and former Trump administration appointee, is challenging Democratic Rep. Darren Soto in Florida's 9th Congressional District. Beltran, a lawyer and former Florida state representative, is challenging Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor in the 14th District.

Askar, a businessman and Marine veteran, is running for the open 22nd District seat against Democrat Pia Dandiya. Singer, an attorney and former three-term mayor of Boca Raton, is challenging Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz in the 25th District. Both the 22nd and 25th District races are being targeted by national party organizations.

The fifth addition is Balkcom, a North Carolina state representative running for the open 11th District seat against Democrat Jamie Ager. Balkcom was selected last month to replace Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards after he ended his reelection campaign.

Edwards withdrew from the race after the House Ethics Committee recommended that he be censured over allegations of inappropriate conduct toward two female staff members. The House voted 413-2 last week to censure him.

The 11th District is one of the more competitive races on the map despite having backed President Donald Trump by nine percentage points in 2024, according to Inside Elections calculations. Democrats have also placed Ager in their Red to Blue program, which provides additional support to Democratic candidates in competitive districts.

The five additions come as both parties focus heavily on a relatively small number of competitive districts that could determine control of the House. The NRCC says 23 Democratic members currently represent districts that Trump carried in 2024, giving Republicans additional opportunities as they seek to maintain their majority.

The NRCC has expanded the MAGA Majority program throughout the year, adding candidates across states including California, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Ohio and Texas. The committee recently removed New York State Sen. Peter Oberacker from the program following scrutiny over a decade-old social media post honoring his German grandfather, who served in the German military during World War II.