In Open Congressional Seats, Democrats Raise Three Times As Much As Republicans

Reprinted with permission from Shareblue.

Democrats are crushing Republicans on fundraising — and they’re doing it in the congressional districts that are critical to winning back the House in this year’s midterms.

Bloomberg analyzed the data from 12 races for open seats and found that Democrats have collectively raised $23.3 million. That’s three times more than what Republicans have brought in.

New Jersey Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, for example, announced this week that he will not see re-election. Daily Kos Elections notes that Frelinghuysen’s fundraising had been “surprisingly weak,” especially for a 12-term congressman who “hails from one of the oldest political families in New Jersey.” Meanwhile, Democrat Mikie Sherrill — a former federal prosecutor, Navy pilot, and mother of four — has raised $1.2 million. The only other Republican in the race has raised a mere $8,659.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which raises money for Democratic House candidates, is also crushing its Republican counterpart in small-donor donations, which, as Bloomberg notes, is “often seen as a barometer of grassroots enthusiasm.” Democrats had banked $22.2 million by the end of 2017, while Republicans had a paltry $9.8 million.

Ohio Rep. Steve Stivers, who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, recently admitted Trump would be a drag in most competitive districts and couldn’t even name a single battleground district where he’d want Trump to campaign.

Major donors and average Americans voters already see the writing on the wall, and their money is going to Democrats in anticipation of halting Trump’s destructive agenda.

Oliver Willis is a former research fellow at Media Matters for America who has been blogging about politics since 2001. Follow him on Twitter @owillis.

PHOTO: The Capitol Building is lit at sunset in Washington, U.S., December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts