A week after DCCC announces its best off-year Q2 ever, NRCC quietly files its report on a Saturday night
With all the numbers in for the 2nd quarter FEC filings, it’s clear that both the DCCC and Democratic Frontline Members have continued dominating the NRCC and Republican candidates in fundraising.
The numbers speak for themselves:
In June, the DCCC raised $12.5 million with a total of $61.67 million in the first half of 2019.
Comparatively, the NRCC raised $9 million in June with a total of $44.5 million in 2019 (which they quietly filed on Saturday at 6:30 pm knowing they got beat again).
Naturally, the DCCC’s $17 million fundraising advantage is setting off alarm bells in the Republican Party – but don’t take our word for it, here’s the Washington Post and House Republicans’ take on where things stand:
‘They’re rich and ready’: House Democrats outpace GOP in fundraising by nearly $20 million
By Mike Debonis and Anu Narayanswamy
Six months into Democrats’ control of the House, the “green wave” that helped put them there shows no sign of ebbing, even as the party’s donors look to oust President Trump by contributing to a crowded lineup of two dozen White House candidates.
Key House campaigns reported massive fundraising hauls for this early stage of the campaign cycle, according to federal disclosures filed this past week by congressional campaigns, with all Democratic freshmen but one outraising their declared Republican challengers and several GOP incumbents lapped by Democratic opponents.
All told, Democratic House candidates raised $17.6 million more than Republicans between April and June, according to a Washington Post analysis of quarterly fundraising reports. That gap could close as more GOP challengers announce their campaigns, but it represents a significant head start for Democrats.
…
“I wish they were all broke and poor, but they’re not — they’re rich and ready, so it will make it harder,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. “We had some good numbers, too, but we’ve got to do better if you’re going to get the majority back.”
What has especially concerned several Republican lawmakers and strategists who have reviewed the early fundraising totals is that some of the GOP’s most prized recruits were in turn outraised by Democratic incumbents.
Wesley Hunt, a highly touted African American retired Army officer, raised $513,000 for the quarter in the Houston-based 7th District of Texas. But Democratic incumbent Lizzie Pannill Fletcher raised $537,000 on top of the nearly $400,000 she already had banked.
And in Iowa, where former GOP Rep. David Young is seeking to reclaim his former seat from Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne, Young posted a respectable $352,000 haul. Axne, however, raised more than $545,000 — putting her total receipts over $1 million for the year.
An even more eye-popping total came from Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), who raised more than $1 million for the quarter — easily swamping her only declared Republican opponent, Mission Viejo Mayor Greg Raths, who raised about $211,000.
…
And Rep. Cheri Bustos (Ill.), the DCCC chairman, said Trump’s dominant presence continues to motivate donors of all stripes.
“People everywhere throughout the country know that we are that firewall that prevents Trump from acting on his worst impulses, and they don’t want to lose that,” Bustos said. “You don’t raise the kind of money that these brand new members are raising if you’re not generating a lot of enthusiasm one way or another. It’s because of what they’re standing up for, what they’re fighting against.”
…
Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) is facing a rematch with Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, whom he beat last year by about 2,000 votes. Londrigan raised $521,887 for the quarter vs. Davis’s $422,070, though Davis has more cash on hand.
Other GOP incumbents outraised for the quarter include Reps. Kenny Marchant (Tex.), Pete Olson (Tex.) and David Schweikert (Ariz.).
Additional Fundraising Quick Facts:
- The DCCC outraised the NRCC by $17.7 million during the first six months of 2019.
- Six Democratic challenger campaigns have already outraised GOP targets.
- 33 of 36 Democratic Frontline Members who flipped seats outraised the GOP Incumbent who held that seat in Q2 2017.
- 20 Frontline Members reported raising over $600,000.
- 30 Frontline Members raised over $500,000.
- 17 Frontline Members have either over $1,000,000 cash on hand, or are within $50k of the $1,000,000 mark.
- At the end of Q2 2019, Democratic Frontline Members have over $38,000,000 on hand.
- The DCCC had its best Q2 of an off-year in history with $29.2 million raised and best first six months of an off-year at $61.7 million raised in 2019
- The DCCC outraised all of the Democratic candidates for President in Q2.
###