Republican mega-donors have begun to ease their purse strings and Democrats are being swamped by fundraising races.
Democrats from twelve-and-a-half swing House districts are concerned about the influx of hundreds of millions of dollars of outside money into races involving vulnerable GOP incumbents.
Sixteen of the 14 Republican-held congressional districts that voted for Biden are not being broadcast by national Democratic organizations Because the national party lacks the cash to purchase many of these districts, such as the seat held by Ann Kirkpatrick (retired Democratic Rep.),
Kirkpatrick told Politico that he knew with all his bones that Kirsten Engel would win this district if the DCCC invested earlier. National Republicans have spent over $1.3 million on TV in this district so far.
House Democrats are feeling panic as GOP outside groups continue their fundraising record-smashing. Democrats have not been able to respond with the same amount of money. The party was also unable to find the funds to attack vulnerable Republican incumbents. This is an important part of their strategy since they must compensate for losses in conservative Democratic-held regions.
Democrats currently hold a 5-seat majority but are abandoning seats in Arizona and Texas where their incumbents have held.
“The No. 1 factor here is money,” said Tim Persico, executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Democrats find themselves in a difficult situation, having to defend seats far more vulnerable than Republicans. While Democrats have outraised Republicans in fundraising efforts, the GOP continues to destroy Democrats in key swing districts and Senate elections by launching late fundraising campaigns that leave Democrats behind.
Six of the 14 Republican-held districts in which Biden won in 2020 have been vacated by National Democratic groups. These seats are crucial to compete for.
Additionally, Republican spending is forcing Democrats to shift valuable resources to safe blue areas. This week’s top super PAC of Democrats cut a TV blitz in Los Angeles that could potentially have targeted Mike Garcia or Tucson. This was done to make money available for other purposes.
This election will be the most expensive in American History. The Congressional Leadership Fund, the largest super PAC within the House GOP, will be spending upwards of $10 trillion. They recently reported that their spending had surpassed $200,000,000. This money could be used to invest in races that could decide the difference between a GOP majority of fewer than 10 seats or a Republican majority of 25+ seats.
Democrats want to minimize their losses but don’t have the cash to spread like Republicans.
