The control of the House of Representatives is up for grabs next month and big-money donors are dumping loads of funds to try to sway the outcome of the election their way.
As candidates head toward the home stretch, Democrats have gained a fundraising edge over their Republican counterparts, according to a new report
from Politico.
This is much different from how it was in the last few election cycles, during which super PACs aligned with GOP candidates have dominated fundraising. They have helped boost up Republican candidates in the House who were struggling to keep up with their Democratic opponents.
That advantage has now gone away, though.
On Tuesday, the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is the largest Republican-aligned group focused on winning the House, said that it raised $81.4 million between July and September. While that’s certainly an impressive number, it pales in comparison to what Democrats were able to bring in.
The House Majority PAC, which is aligned with liberal candidates, raised about $99 million during the third quarter, with $69 million of that coming just in September.
This stands as a final warning sign for Republican candidates who have been relying on big donors to help them remain competitive in battleground districts.
Mike Smith, who is the president of the House Majority PAC, commented recently:
“HMP could not be more proud to have bested our Republican counterparts in Q3, erasing the GOP Super PAC advantage as the candidate fundraising gap continues to grow for Democrats. In the four weeks leading up to Election Day, we believe our record-breaking fundraising and strategic advantage in reserving crucial television and digital time at optimal rates will allow us to take back the House in November.”
While Democrats may hold the fundraising edge, Republicans have long said they don’t need to match their counterparts dollar-for-dollar when it comes to TV ads.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who was named the replacement for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy when he was ousted from his seat last year, has tried to develop a good relationship with key donors.
He also kept Dan Conston in his position as the head of the CLF, which is a role he was chosen for by McCarthy.
In a recent statement, Conston said:
“We’re continuing to raise necessary resources and strategically deploying them to make a real impact in the pivotal races that will shape the Majority.”
Outside groups are still limited in the impact they can make. Candidates can purchase airtime on TV at cheaper rates than super PACs can, which means it’s much more efficient for the candidates themselves to do it.
Even still, GOP candidates have tended to rely on these outside groups for funding, since many candidates don’t have enough money of their own to pay for the ads themselves.
While it’s not out of the ordinary for Democrats to out-fundraise Republicans, it can have big implications in the waning moments leading up to an election, as they can book more TV time slots and stay fresh in prospective voters’ minds.
