A record number of Republicans have filed to run for office in the House and Senate, driven by the Democrats’ “socialist agenda” and “obsessive efforts” to remove U.S. President Donald Trump from office, recent news reports revealed.
At 874, the number of Republicans who have filed to run for congressional seats exceeds the number of Democrats (842), Fox News reported last Friday.
According to the latest federal candidate financial information obtained by Fox News, 781 Republicans have filed paperwork to run for the House alone in the 2020 cycle, marking “the most ever recorded in an odd year at the Federal Election Commission.”
In 2017, 593 Republican candidates filed to run for the House compared to the astounding 937 Democrats. The Democrat party, which set new records for the number of candidates who filed to run for office during the last cycle, took control of the House the following year.
Fox News revealed:
While early numbers show that Democrats still have high levels of candidates –- and a fundraising advantage – the Republicans have rebounded in a big way.
The total number of House and Senate candidates reached an off-year record at 1,761, according to the FEC report obtained by Fox News, shattering the 2017 record of 1,739 candidates that was fueled by a wave of Democrats, especially women. This time, based on the latest data, more Republicans are running than Democrats — with 874 total candidates compared with Democrats’ 842.
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Records show the 2020 House and Senate races are on track to be the most expensive in history, already nearing $1 billion in fundraising in 2019 alone. Democratic candidates raised 53 percent of the haul, compared to 47 percent for the GOP, records obtained by Fox News show.
Mike McAdams, a spokesman for the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC), attributed the GOP candidate uptick to Democrats’ “full embrace of socialism” and impeachment efforts.
On Saturday, the Washington Examiner quoted McAdams as saying:
Democrats’ insane socialist agenda and obsessive efforts to remove President Trump from office have inspired a record-number of Republicans to get off the sidelines and run for higher office. With House Democrats’ full embrace of socialism, Republicans are poised to retake the House Majority.
Democrats reportedly cite the high number of retirements on the Republican side as the reason for the historic number of GOP candidates running for the House.
Members of the Democrat party also argue that the fact that there are more seats for Republicans to challenge since they lost control of the House in 2018 has also contributed to the GOP’s record candidate recruitment figures.
Robyn Patterson, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), downplayed the Republican surge, telling Fox News:
Republican leadership might not have given up on retaking the House. But clearly, their members have. More than 100 House Republicans have called it quits since President Trump took office. Washington Republicans have been out-raised, outworked, and are exhausted from running so many errands for the drug manufacturers and insurance companies. That’s why so many of them are headed for the exits.
The GOP uptick is reportedly taking place in diverse regions across the country, including red and blue districts.
“Trump’s popularity has grown since his impeachment acquittal and the GOP candidates are running as unapologetic Trump enthusiasts, even in must-win swing districts, too,” Fox News pointed out.