In April, the Democratic Party outperformed the Republican Party in fundraising, but the Republicans are narrowing the gap. On May 20, the relevant committees of the major political parties in the United States submitted their monthly disclosure reports to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The reports showed that, compared to the Republican National Committee (RNC), the Democratic National Committee (DNC) maintained a significant accumulated cash advantage.
However, the fundraising amount of the three major Democratic committees in April was only about $2 million more than the RNC. This is a reversal of the trend seen in the past few months. According to FEC documents, the DNC raised approximately $35.5 million in April, while the RNC raised about $32 million.
In contrast, the DNC’s fundraising in the previous month exceeded the RNC by $14 million. April marked the first full month under the leadership of RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump. The revamped RNC pledged to work closely with the Trump campaign team.
In terms of cash on hand, the DNC still maintains a significant lead over the RNC. In May, the DNC spent about $18.7 million and had approximately $62 million in cash at the end of April. The RNC spent around $14.6 million that month and had about $39 million in cash at the end of April, with the DNC also reporting about $275,000 in debt.
Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump and the daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, expressed on social media that the fundraising momentum is growing and will continue until the November election. She also described the legal cases involving President Trump as “false, Soviet-style trials.”
The fundraising success proves that the new fundraising arrangements between the RNC and the Trump campaign team are paying off. In March of this year, officials from the Trump campaign detailed how the newly established joint fundraising committee, the Trump 47 Committee Inc., would distribute funds to the RNC, various national Republican entities, and committees cooperating with the Trump campaign team.
According to FEC records, most of the funds flowing into the RNC’s coffers ultimately came from the Trump 47 Committee. The RNC and DNC are the main committees of their respective parties.
The Republicans also triumphed in the congressional fundraising competition. According to FEC reports, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) raised about $13.1 million in March, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) raised around $9.3 million.
Nevertheless, the Democratic Senate groups still maintain a significant cash advantage. In April, the DSCC spent about $6 million, with a total cash balance of approximately $44.3 million at the end of April, while the NRSC spent around $11.7 million and had about $38 million in cash at the end of April.
At the same time, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) raised more funds than the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC). FEC documents show that in April, the DCCC raised about $12.4 million, while the NRCC raised about $10 million.
However, the DCCC’s cash on hand surpasses the NRCC. As of the end of April, the DCCC reported a cash balance of approximately $76 million, compared to the NRCC’s $59.8 million.
In April, the NRCC spent about $6.1 million, while the DCCC spent about $7.6 million. In the competing press releases, both the DCCC and NRCC celebrated their gains for the month. Both parties stated that this was the best performing month for their respective committees in the 2023-2024 election cycle.
DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene sarcastically remarked in a press release, “As House Republicans continue to prioritize party politics over the people at the behest of Donald Trump, voters are increasingly fed up with extremism and dysfunction.” NRCC Chair Richard Hudson stated in a press release, “In this battleground for House majority seats, Republicans’ recruitment and messaging have outperformed the extreme Democrats.”
The main purpose of the congressional committees of both parties is to raise funds and donations for candidates running for seats in the House or Senate.
Despite some resignations among members, the Republicans remain the majority party in the House of Representatives in the 118th Congress. In the Senate’s 100 seats, the Republicans hold 49 seats, the Democrats hold 48 seats, but the Democrats are still considered the majority party because three independent senators – Angus King (Maine), Bernie Sanders (Vermont), and Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona) – caucus with the Democrats.
All 435 House seats and one-third of the Senate seats will be up for election in November 2024.