House Republican lawmakers pledge ‘unprecedented’ cash to campaign arm

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday persuaded his GOP colleagues to pledge millions of dollars to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), according to lawmakers.

Boehner pledged to give $1 million if members of his conference vowed to deliver $3 million.

{mosads}In many ways, Boehner was not asking — he was instructing.

And as the time came to call on members for donations, Boehner pointed to an individual standing next to the entrance to the meeting room and said, “Block the doors. Nobody’s leaving.”

Within 35 minutes, the NRCC had raised more than $4 million in pledges from members, including the check that Boehner cut for $1 million.

Boehner has contributed nearly $2 million to the NRCC, in addition to hundreds of fundraising events for candidates and GOP challengers this election cycle.

Lawmakers in the room explained that members were excited to make Boehner live up to the million-dollar challenge.

Republican Reps. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), Joe Barton (Texas), Hal Rogers (Ky.), Tom Price (Ga.), Paul Ryan (Wis.), Doc Hastings (Wash.), Robert Aderholt (Ala.), Jeb Hensarling (Texas), Buck McKeon (Calif.), Candice Miller (Mich.), Steven LaTourette (Ohio), Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.) and Aaron Schock (Ill.) were among those lawmakers who stood up to pledge six-figure sums.

With the majority of the House at stake, both parties are leaning on their members to pony up.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has strongly pressed her troops to give more money to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Former NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) called the amount of pledges in one day “unprecedented.”