Democrats, GOP rake in massive first-quarter fundraising hauls

Republicans and Democrats reported massive first-quarter hauls ahead of Friday’s Federal Election Commission filing deadline, pointing to what is expected to be an expensive campaign cycle up and down the ballot. 

In the Senate, Democratic incumbents and challengers touted huge fundraising hauls, many of which broke records. On Thursday, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) announced he raised over $13.6 million in the first quarter of the year, beating his previous fourth quarter haul of $9.8 million. Warnock’s latest haul leaves him with $25.6 million in the bank. 

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) also reported a massive haul of $11.3 million, bringing his cash-on-hand total to $23.2 million. Over in Nevada, Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto (D) raised $4.4 million during the first quarter. Her campaign reports having $11 million in cash on hand. And in New Hampshire, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) raised $4.3 million and reported having $7.5 million in the bank. 

Democrats argue that the massive fundraising hauls provide their incumbents an advantage over their GOP primary opponents, who have raised less money and are working to get through their own intraparty contests. 

But it’s not only Democratic incumbents who are reporting massive first quarter earnings. Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), who is challenging incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), raised $10 million in the first three months of the year. Cheri Beasley, who is running for North Carolina’s open Senate seat, raised over $3.6 million in the same period and has over $5 million cash on hand. 

Among Republican incumbents, Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.), who is in one of the most closely watched reelection bids in the country, reported raising $7.1 million during the first quarter. 

Rubio raised $5.8 million during the period, bringing him to $13 million in cash-on-hand. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who is facing a primary challenge, reported raising $1.5 million during the period. Her campaign says she has $5.2 million in the bank. 

Additionally, the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (NRSC) raised a whopping $43 million during the first quarter. The committee also said it raised $13.28 million during the month of March. The haul marked the most the GOP committee has raised during any past March or first quarter. 

In the House, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) reported raising $52.4 million in the first quarter and wrapped up the period with $113.3 million on hand. 

The Democratic committee outraised its GOP counterpart, the National Republican Congressional Committee, by over $11.5 million. 

But Republican outside groups appear to be outpacing their Democratic counterparts in the first quarter. The Congressional Leadership Fund announced last week it raised $37.5 million during the period, while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) reported raising $31.5 million. 

And the GOP women’s group, Women for Women Action Fund and its related groups posted a $4.6 million fundraising haul for the first quarter. 

On the Democratic side, outside groups House Majority PAC and House Majority Forward raked in more than $16 million during the first quarter.

And further down the ballot, state GOP and Democratic committees also brought in a decent amount of cash. The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) and  its strategic partner the State Government Leadership Foundation (SGLF) raised $10.1 million during the first quarter, while the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) announced last week it raised more than $6.5 million in the first quarter of the year.