POLITICO: House Dems’ fundraising mirage
A mirage.
That’s all you need to know about the DCCC’s Q1 fundraising numbers after POLITICO examined the dollars and pronounced that “the glitzy headlines around the House Democrats’ early fundraising may have been overstated.”
Meanwhile, “The average incoming first quarter haul for Republicans members being targeted by the DCCC was $230,000 more than the average from targeted Democrats.”
In case you missed it…
House Democrats’ Big Fundraising Haul Comes With A Huge Caveat
POLITICO
Brittany Gibson
May 18, 2023
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/17/house-democrats-fundraising-dccc-00097439
House Democrats bragged about posting blockbuster fundraising hauls in the first quarter of this year. What they glossed over was how they got there.
A close read of FEC filings and interviews suggest that one way that Democrats stuffed their coffers was because of increases in membership dues and large transfers, including from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ leadership PAC.
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The transfers and enhanced dues payments suggest that the glitzy headlines around the House Democrats’ early fundraising may have been overstated. It also raises questions about the ability of the party to continue its money-raising clip.
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Vulnerable Democrats, many of whom are in districts that are likely to vanish when Republicans redraw districts in North Carolina and Ohio, raised about $400,000 on average while Republicans earned more than $630,000.
The average incoming first quarter haul for Republicans members being targeted by the DCCC was $230,000 more than the average from targeted Democrats. But those members were also helped by transfers too. The McCarthy-led Protect the House 2024 committee directed more than $4 million to 30 Republican candidates’ direct campaign accounts, according to FEC filings, in addition to what he gave to the NRCC.
“Our focus really was on helping our candidates raise money and build their own personal war chest,” said NRCC Chair Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.). “I made it a priority for this committee so we’re using all of the tools available to us to help drive money to our candidates and to help our candidates be successful.”
Hudson said making transfers direct to members’ campaign accounts was a deliberate decision. Advertising rates for candidates are cheaper than committees, and Hudson said it’ll be important for candidates to have the authority to drive their own message in their districts, especially in a presidential election cycle.
Read the full piece here.