House GOP falls short in September money chase

The National Republican Congressional Committee once again lagged its Democratic counterpart in monthly fundraising in September, bringing in $11 million.

{mosads}That’s far below the $16.7 million the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced it raised Monday morning. The DCCC has now outraised the NRCC $163 million to $125 million for the election cycle.

The two committees are roughly on par with their cash on hand figures, with the DCCC at $34 million to close the month and the NRCC at $33 million. The DCCC has used that cash edge to invest heavily in ground operations and make larger early TV reservations while rates were low.

Still, the money advantage has mattered less in recent weeks as Republican outside groups such as the American Action Network and Congressional Leadership Fund have come in with huge buys to back the GOP. That has forced Democrats to pull resources out of some competitive races, including a bid to unseat Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) and an attempt to win an open seat in Virginia’s 10th district, where GOP Rep. Frank Wolf is retiring.