ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans again find themselves playing defense in Georgia's state House of Representatives, as Democrats try to leap to a majority in a chamber they haven't controlled since 2004.

Democrats must capture a net of 16 seats to control the 180-seat House, overcoming the GOP's 105-75 majority. They gained a net of 11 seats in 2018 in Atlanta's suburbs when Stacey Abrams fell just short of capturing the governor's mansion for the Democrats, dragging the minority party back from the brink of irrelevancy in the General Assembly.

“We are going to show Georgia Republicans once and for all that the Georgia Democratic Party is back, we’re better and we’re on our way to victory,” said Abrams, a possible 2022 gubernatorial candidate who has remained a party leader, during an online rally for House candidates earlier this month.

Although Democrats also harbor hopes for gains in the 56-seat state Senate, it's unlikely the Democrats can gain enough seats to overturn the 35-21 Republican majority in the upper chamber. As many as 30 House districts have competitive races, although fewer than that are likely to change hands.

House Republicans say they’re running on a record of achievement and warn Democrats will push higher taxes and more spending.

“The other party, their plan is to take us in a completely opposite direction at high speed, which will necessarily involve tax increases,” said House Speaker David Ralston, a Blue Ridge Republican who'd likely win another term in the speaker's chair if his party retains control. Ralston is already the longest-serving House speaker since Tom Murphy's four-decade reign.

Expanding the state-federal Medicaid insurance program to cover more uninsured adults is a central plank in most Democratic campaigns, as that party's members argue Gov. Brian Kemp's plan to extend coverage to a smaller number of people isn't enough. House Minority Leader Bob Trammell, a Luthersville Democrat, described Kemp's plan as “kind of a fig leaf to give them some kind of cover to say they did something on health care.”

Democrats are criticizing Republicans for cutting $950 million from K-12 funding in the current year's budget. They're also arguing to raise the state minimum wage and protect abortion rights.

Ralston said he's hopeful Republicans can gain four or five seats, increasing their majority. The GOP has painted a special target on Trammell, the last rural white Democrat in the chamber, seeking to oust him from his district in parts of Meriwether, Troup and Coweta counties.

A national Republican State Legislative Committee plans to spend $1 million just to oppose Trammell, and he's raised more than $300,000 to defend himself.

“It's a prime pickup opportunity,” said Ralston, noting President Donald Trump won the district in 2016 and Gov. Brian Kemp won the district in 2018. It's one example of the nationalized overtones that General Assembly races have in Georgia as the state becomes competitive.

“If you call everybody a socialist, after a while, it loses its punch,” Trammell said. He's running on better handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and argues Georgians need to elect lawmakers to guard against a rollback of health care protections if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the Affordable Care Act.

Georgia's legislative districts are due to be redrawn next year following the 2020 census. Democratic control of the House would give the party a voice as lines in the General Assembly and Congress are drawn for the next decade.

“It is time to let the voters decide who’s representing them instead of letting the politicians pick their voters. We must end gerrymandering,” said Richmond Hill Democrat Marcus Thompson, who’s challenging Republican Rep. Ron Stephens in parts of Chatham and Bryan counties.

Most action is in the Atlanta suburbs. Democrats even hope they might be able to pick off House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones in her far north Fulton County district.

Democrats are also targeting Republican incumbents in Athens, Milledgeville, Warner Robins, Savannah, Brunswick and southwest Georgia.

Republicans emphasized some legislation to let candidates moderate their appeals, including extending Medicaid coverage for mothers of newborns, providing paid parental leave to state employees and penalizing hate crimes. Rep. Chuck Efstration, a Dacula Republican and a sponsor of the hate crimes bill, is touting that achievement and running on a COVID-19 plan as he defends his Gwinnett County seat.

“I've always tried to take on the big issues, the big problems facing our state and come up with bipartisan solutions to address the needs of our citizens, and I think we were able to do that with the hate crimes law,” Efstration said.

Rep. Bee Nguyen, an Atlanta Democrat and vice chair of the state party, takes that moderation as a sign Democrats have momentum.

“A lot of the Republicans that are defending their seats are not associating with the president or the governor,” Nguyen said.

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Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.