New fundraising reports reveal that Democratic House and Senate candidates in competitive congressional races significantly outpaced their Republican opponents in fundraising from July through September. On average, Democrats raised over twice as much as Republicans in Senate and House races rated as competitive by the Cook Political Report. This fundraising advantage allowed Democrats to massively outspend Republicans in key races during this period, with Senate Democratic candidates spending $244 million compared to Republicans’ $91.5 million, and House Democratic candidates spending $132 million compared to Republicans’ $61.6 million. Democrats ended September with more cash on hand in both Senate and House races.
Republicans have been concerned about their candidates’ fundraising since Vice President Kamala Harris became the party’s presidential nominee. To stretch their limited funds, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee have been using hybrid ads that split costs with candidates and leverage joint fundraising committees. Democrats are also using hybrid ads, but Republicans view this tactic as a way to combat the Democrats’ financial advantage.
Super PACs on both sides are also heavily involved in funding congressional races, with Senate Majority PAC and Senate Leadership Fund raising significant amounts for Senate races, and Congressional Leadership Fund and House Majority PAC bringing in funds for House races. Overall, Democrats have shown a strong financial advantage in the lead-up to the election, which has Republicans scrambling to keep up in the final weeks of the campaign.
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