NRSC outraises DSCC in February

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the body charged with electing Republicans to the Senate, outraised its Democratic counterpart, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), in February as the GOP goes on defense in several key states.

New filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) show the NRSC hauled in over $11.1 million last month and finished February with over $30.3 million cash on hand. The DSCC raised roughly $8.9 million in the same time period and finished the month with just shy of $20 million in the bank.

The NRSC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

The fundraising figures are a promising sign for the GOP, which is defending a number of swing seats as it tries to protect its majority. Republicans currently control the Senate by a 53-47 margin.

Democrats are hoping to go on the offense in several states, including Arizona, Colorado, Maine, North Carolina, Iowa, Georgia, Montana and Kansas. The party will also have to dedicate significant resources to protecting Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, widely considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the chamber.

While the DSCC has lagged its Republican counterpart in fundraising, individual candidates have emerged as fundraising powers in their own right. For instance, Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and the Democratic Senate candidate in Arizona, has consistently outraised Sen. Martha McSally (R) in the Grand Canyon State’s Senate race, and Sara Gideon, who is running in Maine, outraised Sen. Susan Collins (R) in the latter half of 2019. 

Democrats will need to pick up three seats and the White House to win control of the Senate in November, or flip four seats if they fail to unseat President Trump.