Wall Street Journal: House Democrats’ Campaign Arm Raised $12 Million in July
By Michelle Hackman
August 17, 2016
House Democrats’ campaign arm raised $12 million in July, continuing a historic fundraising streak in a presidential year when Democrats do not control the lower chamber.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s July receipts matched its equally large June haul, and more than half — $6.3 million – came from small donations. The committee had $62 million in the bank at the end of July, $25 million more than the committee had on hand at the same point in 2012.
“It’s clear that Democratic donors realize that Donald Trump as the Republican nominee creates momentum behind House Democrats and provides a greater opportunity to gain seats,” said Meredith Kelly, the DCCC’s spokesperson in a statement.
The DCCC’s Republican counterpart has not yet posted its July cash totals, but the group’s fundraising pace has lagged the DCCC for the past three months. In June, the NRCC raised $9.3 million, well below the DCCC’s $12 million that month.
The brisk pace with which Democrats are continuing to fundraise signals optimism about the number of seats the party can hope to win back in November. Most Democrats acknowledge that they likely cannot win back a 30-seat majority in the House, but they are hoping to capitalize on Mr. Trump’s unpopularity to bump their gains into the double digits.
In July, the DCCC launched an ad campaign in 10 competitive House districts, tying GOP house members broadly to their presidential nominee. One of the ads called Republicans in Congress who had endorsed Mr. Trump “the bully’s sidekick.”
Still, the NRCC held a $6 million cash advantage in June with $63 million in the bank – an advantage that analysts will be watching to determine whether the Republicans’ campaign arm has boosted its own spending to defend house seats.