Democrat Senate Campaign Arm Bests GOP in February Fundraising

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), tasked with helping Democrats keep and expand their majority in the U.S. Senate, edged out the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) in February fundraising as both groups gear up for what is expected to be a contentious 2022 battle for majority status in the upper chamber.

The DSCC raised $7.2 million in February, compared to the NRSC’s $6.4 million garnered in the same time frame. The DSCC, per the Hill, entered March with $10.2 million in the bank.

While the DSCC raised more than the Republican group, the NRSC, chaired by Florida Sen. Rick Scott, is expected to be in better shape all around, as it holds less debt and “is expected to report nearly $5 million more than the DSCC in cash reserves,” per the outlet.

Nonetheless, the DSCC’s haul reflects a massive jump for February fundraising, particularly for a nonelection year. The group reportedly raised less than $3.8 million in February 2017, but has reported a 363 percent increase in online donations over the last two years. Money raised from grassroots efforts made up 65 percent of February’s donations.

The increase reflects what is anticipated to be a grueling 2022 election cycle, as both Democrats and Republicans will battle it out for a Senate majority:

But Republicans will still have to defend 20 seats next year compared to Democrats’ 14. What’s more, a handful of GOP incumbents have announced their retirements ahead of the midterms, opening up the possibility of bruising primary fights in competitive states, like North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Democrats are also facing concerns in the House after underperforming in the 2020 election as Republicans made unexpected gains, shrinking the Democrat majority to the smallest in decades.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), tasked with assisting Democrats in maintaining a House majority, has made waves in the last few weeks after hiring controversial figures to assist them in their efforts, including an ex-gang member and woman with a history of anti-police posts.

“If the cops kill me, burn every cop precinct to the ground,” the new DCCC staffer wrote in a recently-deleted post.