Republicans report record fundraising for House campaigns

NEW YORK » The Republican fundraising committee dedicated to flipping the House in next year’s midterm elections said Thursday it raised more than $105 million this year through September.

The record haul for the nine-month period marks a 74% increase over last cycle and includes $25.8 million raised in the third quarter of the year. The group said it now has $65 million cash on hand, nearly triple what it had at this time two years ago.

“House Democrats are sprinting toward the exits because they know their days in the majority are numbered and we look forward to keeping up the pressure,” National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer said in a statement.

The numbers are the latest sign that Republicans are energized heading into the midterms, as President Joe Biden’s popularity wanes and with history on their side. The president’s party almost always loses seats in midterm elections, and Democrats currently hold only a narrow majority.

The Democrats’ congressional fundraising arm has not yet released its total through September. But last month, the group announced it had raised $10 million in August — besting the Republican House campaign committee’s $6.5 million.

The NRCC outraised the Democratic House committee $45.4 million to $36.5 million through the year’s second quarter, which ended June 30.

The NRCC’s total includes $19.4 million transferred from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, $10.3 million from House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and $1.2 million from Elise Stefanik, who earlier this year replaced Rep. Liz Cheney, a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, as the House Republican Conference chair.

This story has been corrected to show the group’s $65 million cash on hand is nearly triple what it had two years ago, not four years ago.

GARY KAZANJIAN -THE ASSOCIATED PRESS First year nursing student, Emma Champlin, poses for a photo in her clinical laboratory class at Fresno State on Wednesday, in Fresno, Calif. Champlin said that like many of her classmates, she saw the pandemic as a chance to learn critical-care skills and to help at a time when those abilities are needed.

CAROLYN KASTER, FILE - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In this March 4 photo, a bird flies near the U.S. Capitol dome at sunrise in Washington. The Republican fundraising committee dedicated to flipping the House in the 2022 midterm elections says it raised more than $105 million this year through September 2021. The record haul marks a 74% increase over last cycle and includes $25.8 million raised in the third quarter of the year.