House Dems, Senate GOP build money edge to protect majorities

The most junior members of the new House Democratic majority spent the last three months building monster campaign accounts to protect their seats, while almost every senator up for reelection padded their early advantage over rivals from the other side.

Campaign fundraising reports filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission show the 44 Democrats who captured Republican-held seats in 2018 raised a collective $22.5 million, more than every Democratic presidential candidate except South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

{mosads}Thirteen of those freshmen ended the month of June with more than $1 million in the bank, a significant amount of money for such junior members.

Thirty-three of the 36 incumbent Democrats that the party’s campaign committee sees as potentially vulnerable next year raised more than the Republican incumbent who held that seat in the comparable quarter two years ago.

At the front of the pack are several members from California, where Democrats captured seven Republican-held seats last year. Rep. Katie Porter (D) raised more than $1 million in the last quarter, more than any other freshman, while Reps. Josh Harder (D), Harley Rouda (D) and Katie Hill (D) all ended the quarter with seven-figure bank balances.

Other Democratic freshmen with more than a million in the bank include Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (N.M.), who won a Republican-held open seat by less than 2 percentage points; New Jersey Reps. Tom Malinowski and Mikie Sherrill; Michigan Reps. Haley Stevens and Elissa Slotkin and New York Reps. Max Rose and Antonio Delgado.

All told, the 44 Democratic freshmen are sitting on stockpiles that total $36 million.

In the Senate, only one incumbent — Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) — raised less money than her likely general election opponent, retired astronaut Mark Kelly (D), who pulled in $4.2 million.

But, in a testament to Kelly’s fundraising prowess and to McSally’s own skills, the freshman Republican raised more money in the last quarter, $3 million, than any other incumbent senator, including both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas).

Cornyn has more money in the bank, $9 million, than any other senator seeking reelection this year, trailed closely by McConnell, with just under $7.9 million on hand.

On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) leads the way with $4.2 million on hand, after he pulled in $1.8 million in the last quarter. Jones, seeking reelection in a state President Trump won by 28 percentage points, is the most vulnerable member up for reelection next year.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) raised $2.2 million in the last quarter and ended with $4.7 million in the bank. His likely rival, 2018 candidate John James (R), pulled in $1.5 million in his first quarter in the race.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) ended the quarter with almost $2.9 million on hand. Retired Army Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc, the GOP’s preferred candidate, entered the race just days before the end of the quarter and has not reported his fundraising yet.

Republicans hold a 53-47 seat edge in the Senate, and the GOP is defending 22 of the 34 seats up for election this year. Many Democratic challengers have only just begun to campaign and raise money seriously, setting them well behind the incumbents they will challenge.

In Iowa, businesswoman Theresa Greenfield (D) pulled in $625,000 in the month between her formal decision to challenge Sen. Joni Ernst (R) and the end of the quarter. She ended with about $600,000 in the bank, less than a fifth of the $3.4 million Ernst has on hand.

In Maine, state House Speaker Sara Gideon (D) announced her campaign after the end of the quarter, though her campaign said it had pulled in $1 million in its first 10 days. She has work to do to catch up to Sen. Susan Collins (R), who is sitting on a $5.4 million campaign account.

And in Colorado, Sen. Cory Gardner (R) raised $2 million and sits on $4.9 million. The Democrats running against him combined to raise more than the incumbent Republican, but they will spend much of that money on next year’s June 30 primary. A dozen candidates are already running for the right to face Gardner, and at least one other prominent candidate is considering entering the race.

Republican Party committees hold a financial advantage so far this year, entirely thanks to the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) strong fundraising performance ahead of Trump’s reelection bid. The RNC had $37 million in the bank at the end of May, the latest figures available. The Democratic National Committee has just $8.2 million on hand, and nearly $6 million in remaining debt.

The National Republican Congressional Committee held $20 million in reserves, slightly more than the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s $17 million. And the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) had $13 million on hand, more than the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s (NRSC) $11.2 million. The NRSC still owes vendors $6 million, while the DSCC owes debts of $16.9 million.

The party committees must report their fundraising results each month. The reports for June are due at the weekend.