House Republicans have reportedly flipped the script from the last presidential campaign cycle and dominated the fundraising battle thus far in the 2024 cycle.
While House Democrats outraised Republicans in the second quarter of 2019, House Republicans decisively outraised Democrats in the second quarter of 2023, an analysis by Politico found.
“Some 65 Republican candidates raised $500,000 or more in the second quarter compared to 40 Democrats,” the outlet reported. “That’s a stark contrast from this point four years ago: In 2019, about 30 Republicans crossed that threshold, compared to 50 Democrats.”
House Republicans will now work to continue the momentum in the following months, as the party looks to maintain control of the House and continue conducting oversight upon the Biden administration.
“Over the last two cycles, House Republicans have fought to get to parity with Democrats when it comes to candidate dollars,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) told Politico. “We’ve turned a fundraising disadvantage into a massive strength.”
“That’s a really big deal,” he added, “but we got a lot of work left to do.”
The Republican majority in the House is only five seats. But they are defending about 12 seats in districts where President Joe Biden performed well. Some of those seats are in New York, California, and Pennsylvania.
Some of the members filling those Republican seats, however, such as Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Young Kim (R-CA), and Michelle Steel (R-CA), raised more than $1 million in the second quarter, showing themselves ready for a long campaign season.
In contrast, Politico reported that “[n]one of the incumbents or leading candidates in three dozen Democrat-held seats that Republicans are targeting crossed that million-dollar threshold.”
Republican leaders are thrilled with the fundraising results so far, but are not taking anything for granted.
“The focus from Speaker McCarthy and the NRCC on ensuring targeted Republican incumbents are cash-flush is already paying dividends,” the president of the McCarthy-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund, Dan Conston, told Politico. “This incumbent financial advantage is a shield of armor and will allow us to focus on our core mission: persuasively defining Democrats.”
“Growing the majority is a team effort,” National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson said. The radical Democrats “will have to contend with the fundraising firepower of the entire Republican Conference.”
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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