GOP Senate campaign arm raises $7.2 million in April

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) raised more than $7 million last month, it announced on Tuesday. 

The group’s $7.2 million fundraising haul brings its total cash on hand to $14.2 million, it said. By comparison, in April 2019, the NRSC pulled in about $4.5 million and ended the month with $11.3 million in the bank and $7.5 million in debt. 

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the chair of the NRSC, attributed the group’s fundraising pace to a surge in new donors – the committee received contributions from 8,164 first-time donors, it said –  and grassroots giving. About $3.4 million of the NRSC’s fundraising total last month came from people giving less than $200. 

“It’s clear the energy is with Senate Republicans and our pro-family, pro-America agenda,” Scott said in a statement. “The NRSC’s work to defeat Senate Democrats’ radical ideas is just beginning, and we are in the best position to win the fight next November.”

The NRSC’s Democratic counterpart, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), has not yet said how much it raised in April, though both groups will have to file their monthly financial reports with the Federal Election Committee (FEC) by May 20. 

So far, however, both the NRSC and DSCC have seen huge sums of money pouring into their coffers this year. The DSCC outraised the NRSC in March by nearly $1 million, while the NRSC raked in about $2 million more than the DSCC in January. 

The breakneck pace of fundraising comes as both parties prepare for a bruising and expensive midterm election in which control of both chambers of Congress will be on the line. 

Republicans likely need to flip only about half-a-dozen seats in the House to retake the majority. The Senate, however, is even closer, with the GOP just one seat away from reclaiming control. 

Still, flipping the upper chamber is still expected to be challenging for Republicans. They are defending 20 seats to Democrats’ 14, including several in battleground states like Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. At the same time, five GOP incumbent senators have announced plans to retire after their current terms expire, lifting Democrats’ hopes of flipping Republican-held seats.