WASHINGTON – Democrats are turning to a bench of former lawmakers to help win the 25 Republican seats they need to gain the majority in the House in this November’s election.

Ten former House Democrats who were defeated in 2010 – when Democrats lost 63 seats and control of the House – are trying to reclaim their seats, some running in districts that tilt more Democratic after redistricting.

New York’s Dan Maffei, Ohio’s Charlie Wilson, Arizona’s Ann Kirkpatrick and Bill Foster of Illinois are among former lawmakers who Democratic officials see as well-positioned to regain their seats because they have name recognition, campaign organizations and fundraising ability. Having been out of Congress amid the current record-low public approval ratings is also a point in their favor, Kirkpatrick said.

A Feb. 2-5 Gallup poll of 1,029 adults showed public approval of Congress fell to 10 percent, a record low.

Republicans, though, say Democrats’ optimism is misplaced and point out that voters fired these lawmakers two years ago.

“A lot of these are horses that look better in the stable than they run on the track,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., former chairman of the Republicans’ House campaign effort. “They are people who have already been defeated once.”

Wilson, the Ohio lawmaker who was defeated in 2010 after two terms, said he found “a lot of buyer’s remorse” among voters who elected Republican Bill Johnson. Wilson cited a Jan. 21-22 survey by Public Policy Polling of voters in the district showing that Johnson’s personal favorability rating was 32 percent. The poll was conducted for the House Majority PAC, which seeks to put Democrats back in control of the House.

Redrawn congressional maps have contributed to 20 Democrats and 15 Republicans announcing they will retire from the House or seek other office.

Democratic retirements include three members of the Blue Dog Coalition from Republican-leaning districts: North Carolina’s Heath Shuler, Arkansas’s Mike Ross and Oklahoma’s Dan Boren.