The campaign arm of House Democrats outraised House Republicans in July and for this election cycle, putting pressure on GOP hopes of not only expanding its majority in the lower chamber but keeping it.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) raised $17.6 million in July, the month President Joe Biden ceded the top of the Democrat ticket to Vice President Kamala Harris, bringing the group's total for this election cycle to a record $228.4 million, The Hill reported Thursday. The DCCC has $92 million cash on hand.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) hauled in $11.7 million in July, raising its total this election cycle to $173.4 million, with $73.3 million cash on hand.
The groups had a Tuesday deadline to file their monthly fundraising reports to the Federal Election Commission.
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chair of the NRCC, pressed Republicans during a conference call last week about boosting fundraising efforts and transferring more money to the committee, The Hill reported.
"I need you to want it," Hudson told the group.
Former Rep. Thomas Reynolds, R-N.Y., the NRCC's chair from 2003-2007, said Hudson's message was a "fair warning" because Republicans can't get complacent during the stretch drive of this election year.
"I think it was most appropriate, my personal opinion, that Chairman Hudson said let's not think that we're not in a dogfight here," Reynolds told The Hill. "A lot has changed in 30 days. And if you watch the Democratic Convention this week, their message is that this is all turned around and everything's moving to momentum.
"There were certain assumptions that could be made by rank-and-file members that things are going to be OK, I don't have much of a race, and it just looks like everything is coming together for [Donald] Trump. Well, Trump's in a dogfight with Harris and the Senate is fighting to make sure they have a Republican control. And the warnings are, do not think that we have a rosy outlook. We're going to have to fight for everything we get to hold the House and try to increase some of our numbers. And I think it's a fair warning."
The fundraising numbers for July do not spell doom for the GOP's chances of keeping the House. The NRCC trailed the DCCC in fundraising and cash on hand in July 2022, The Hill reported, before Republicans flipped the House that November.
Also, the NRCC is in a better financial position than it was in 2020, when Republicans picked up seats even though Trump lost the presidential election.
But Democrats are expecting to build upon their record numbers in July. A source familiar with the DCCC's fundraising told The Hill that the group is expecting larger numbers in August, when the full effect of Harris' ascension to the top of the ticket will be apparent. Harris has been riding a wave of momentum after becoming the party's presidential nominee, and the source said August will be more reflective of the boost Harris is providing for down-ballot races.
Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, who was the NRCC chair in 2010 when the GOP took over the House majority, said fundraising is not the defining factor.
"Who else is on the ballot, what senators are in play, what else is happening, and it's just a metric," Sessions told The Hill. "That's why I say, you know, money helps you, but it is not the intangible."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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