Democrats begin to outpace Republicans in fundraising for key House races

Source: NBC News

April 18, 2024, 3:46 PM EDT


Republicans have sounded the alarm in recent years that Democrats are overwhelming their candidates in fundraising. And despite making some improvements last year, some of the most vulnerable House Republicans are once again falling behind their Democratic opponents. Democratic candidates outraised Republicans in almost every one of the most competitive seats in the race for the House, according to new fundraising reports filed this week, a setback for Republicans who had been hoping their candidates were turning a corner.

Money alone doesn’t determine winners and losers, especially in a presidential cycle where most voter attention will be focused on the top of the ticket. And Republicans expect their candidates and outside effort to be well-funded. But as Democrats need a net gain of just four seats to retake control of the House, their incumbents and challengers entered April in a significantly better financial position than their Republican rivals.

Republicans admit the fundraising gap isn’t ideal, but they’re tamping down concerns — at least publicly “Our swing-district incumbents continue to stack the cash they’ll need to beat their extreme challengers,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Will Reinert said in a statement.

The latest fundraising reports, spanning the first three months of the year, also come as Republicans navigate life without an experienced prolific fundraiser as speaker after Kevin McCarthy’s ouster (and with current Speaker Mike Johnson fighting continual intraparty threats to his leadership).

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/democrats-begin-outpace-republicans-fundraising-key-house-races-rcna148454