The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) reported Monday that it raised $105.4 million last year, providing them with a robust war chest which they will use to try and retake the House in 2018.
The DCCC reportedly raised $9.5 million in December alone, notes the Washington Post. In 2015, the group raised $68.2 million.
Meanwhile, Politico reported that over the first six months of 2017, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) raised just $38 million. And CNN reported that the DNC’s October report marked the “lowest fundraising total for October in at least 15 years.”
“I’m proud that grass-roots donations continue to fuel our record-breaking fundraising,” Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) told the Washington Post. “Despite full Republican control of Washington, we have far-outraised our competition, which has already allowed us to invest in campaigns across the largest battlefield in a decade.”
The Washington Post notes that about 40 percent of the DNCC’s fundraising came from online donations and reported that a strong portion of it came from low-dollar donations, averaging $18 each.
However, in November, The Hill wrote: “The Democratic National Committee [DNC] raised just $3.9 million in October, its second-worst fundraising quarter of the year, deepening the fundraising gap between the national party organizations.”
Although the DCCC from May through December outraised its Republican counterpart, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and ended the year by $20 million more, the NRCC reportedly has far more cash on hand — $43.6 million versus $38.9 million for the DCCC.
According to the Washington Examiner, the NRCC raised $85 million last year in comparison. Meanwhile, in the first nine months of 2017 alone, the Republican National Committee (RNC) raised more than $104 million.
“Our record-breaking fundraising has been fueled by grassroots enthusiasm for President Trump and the Republican Party,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel reportedly said in October.
The NRCC reportedly has a whopping $43.6 million ready to spend on electing House Republicans. Digital fundraising reportedly accounted for 16 percent of the NRCC’s total money raised last year, and email fundraising quadrupled compared to the last year off, notes the Examiner.
The credit for the NRCC’s fundraising reportedly goes to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and President Donald Trump who has drawn in many donors with his special appearances.