Republican PACs outpaced Democratic groups in the political money war last year amid a record surge in donations, The Washington Post reports.
Republicans’ House and Senate committees and leadership PACs are sitting on nearly $220 million.
Democratic committees and PACs have about $176 million in cash on hand.
By comparison, Democrats had outraised Republicans by about $50 million at this point in the 2020 cycle.
With Democrats expected to lose control of the House in the midterm elections, some donors aren’t cutting many checks.
“When you are a Democrat, you are raising money for a very-likely loss, so that is hard to get around,” David Brock, the founder of the Democratic PAC American Bridge 21st Century, told the Post. “And in 2018 and 2020, there was a good chunk of anti-Trump money that is not coming back unless he is the nominee again.”
Record-breaking cash:
Despite trailing Republicans in the money war, both parties have broken their fundraising records since the 2020 race.
“House Democrats’ record-breaking fundraising shows we’re ready to compete across the battleground and make sure voters know just how dangerous Republicans’ extremist agenda is,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Chris Taylor said in a statement.
The Democratic National Committee ended the year with $65 million in cash on hand, compared to $56 million held by the Republican National Committee.
Individual contributions soar:
Democrats are instead focused on individual donations, which have surged in key states.
Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock raised $9.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 while Republican challenger Herschel Walker raised $5.4 million.
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly raised $9 million in Q4 compared to $1.4 million for venture capitalist Blake Masters.
“While Republicans put forward flawed candidates that are locked in vicious primaries, this record-breaking fundraising quarter for Democrats shows the power of our grass roots support,” said Jazmin Vargas, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
