Campaign

House Dem campaign arm beats GOP rival in campaign fundraising

by Ben Kamisar - 01/22/18 9:51 AM ET

House Democrats’ campaign arm revealed Monday that it closed 2017 with a strong fundraising showing, breaking its off-year annual fundraising record by raising $105.5 million in 2017 ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) fundraising haul comes after the group closed the year by raising about $9.5 million in December. The DCCC has almost $39 million in its bank account to spend on the 2018 midterms, according to information released by the party committee on Monday.

The nine-figure haul represents a $37 million fundraising increase from 2015.

{mosads}“I’m proud that grassroots donations continue to fuel our record breaking fundraising,” Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), chairman of the DCCC, said in a statement.

“Despite full Republican control of Washington, we have far outraised our competition, which has already allowed us to invest in campaigns across the largest battlefield in a decade.”

The DCCC total eclipses that of its GOP rival, the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC). The NRCC raised $85 million in 2017, its own off-year record, according to figures reported on by The Washington Examiner. The NRCC’s annual sum represents an increase of almost $23 million from the group’s 2015 fundraising performance.

Despite the DCCC’s fundraising advantage over 2017, the NRCC closed the year with $43.6 million in its campaign account — a few million more than its Democratic counterparts.

Democrats have to gain a net 24 seats in the midterm elections to win back control of the House, with both sides fighting for control of the House majority. Democrats have been emboldened by numerous GOP retirements, President Trump’s low approval ratings and the party’s lead in polls of a generic ballot. But Republicans are hopeful that legislative moves, including the recent tax-reform plan, will shore up their position.

Tags Donald Trump