Democrats build financial edge in battle for the House
CNN
Democrats are building a significant financial edge in the battle for the US House of Representatives, outraising their GOP counterparts and placing big fall ad reservations as Republicans grapple with the fallout of ongoing leadership battles.
Democrats are building a significant financial edge in the battle for the US House of Representatives, outraising their GOP counterparts and placing big fall ad reservations as Republicans grapple with the fallout of ongoing leadership battles. House Democrats’ official campaign committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, announced this week that it hauled in a record-breaking $45.4 million during the first quarter of the year, outraising its Republican counterpart, the National Republican Congressional Committee, which brought in $33.4 million over the same period. The DCCC also touted a war chest of $71.1 million, while the NRCC said it had about $55.9 million in cash on hand, funds each committee will use to support candidates in key battleground states with control of the House up for grabs. Meanwhile, a pair of super PACs aligned with the House leadership of both parties also announced their most recent quarterly fundraising totals this week, showing Democrats with another advantage. House Majority PAC, the Democratic super PAC, said that, along with its affiliated organization, House Majority Forward, it had raised $37 million in the quarter for Democrats’ House effort. Their GOP counterparts, the Congressional Leadership Fund, along with its affiliate, American Action Network, announced a combined fundraising haul of $30 million in the first quarter. The groups are set to play pivotal roles in the upcoming House contests, devoting tens of millions of dollars to independent expenditures. Democrats also have a fundraising edge when it comes to the candidates themselves. First-quarter FEC filings showed that in 20 of 22 races rated as “toss-ups” by the Cook Political Report – its most competitive category – the lead Democratic candidate outraised the lead Republican candidate. Many of the Democratic candidates, hauling in millions, hailed from highly competitive seats in California and New York, critical sections of the House map.
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