The Democratic Party beat out the Republican Party in fundraising in April, but the GOP is closing the gap.
On May 20, the committees associated with America’s major political parties filed their monthly disclosure statements with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The filings showed the Democratic committees maintain an ample cumulative cash-on-hand advantage over their Republican counterparts.
However, the three main Democratic committees only raised about $2 million more in April than the Republican committees. That’s a marked reversal from the trends of the past few months.
According to their FEC filings, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) raised about $35.5 million in April, while the Republican National Committee (RNC) brought in about $32 million.
By comparison, in the prior month, the DNC outraised the RNC by $14 million. April was the first full month the RNC was under the leadership of chairman Michael Whatley and co-chair Lara Trump. The new look RNC pledged to operate in close cooperation with the Trump campaign.
In terms of cash on hand, the DNC maintains a wide lead over the RNC.
The DNC, which spent about $18.7 million during the month, finished April with about $62 million in cash on hand. The RNC, which expended about $14.6 million, closed out the month with about $39 million in cash on hand. The DNC also reported a debt of about $275,000.
The fundraising gains are evidence that a new fundraising arrangement between the RNC and the Trump campaign is paying dividends. In March, Trump campaign officials detailed how a newly formed joint fundraising committee, Trump 47 Committee Inc., will send money to the RNC, various national Republican causes, and committees working with the Trump campaign.
According to FEC records, a large portion of the money that ended up in the RNC’s coffers came from Trump 47.
The RNC and DNC are the primary committees of their respective parties.
The GOP also scored a victory in the congressional fundraising race.
According to its FEC filings, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) raised about $13.1 million in March, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) collected about $9.3 million.
The Democratic Senate group held onto a notable cash advantage, however.
The DSCC, which spent about $6 million in April, reported about $44.3 million in overall cash on hand at the end of April. The NRSC, which used about $11.7 million during the month, ended April with about $38 million in cash on hand.
At the same time, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) outraised the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). In April, the DCCC brought in about $12.4 million, while the NRCC took in about $10 million, according to their FEC filings.
However, the DCCC’s cash on hand dwarfs the NRCC’s. At the end of April, the DCCC reported about $76 million in cash on hand, while the NRCC held about $59.8 million.
In April, the NRCC expended about $6.1 million, while the DCCC spent about $7.6 million.
In competing releases, the DCCC and NRCC celebrated the month’s haul. Both said it was the best month of the 2023-2024 campaign cycle for their respective committees.
“As House Republicans continue to put partisan politics over people at the behest of Donald Trump, voters are increasingly fed up with extremism and dysfunction,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a release.
“In a game of inches for the House majority where every seat matters, Republicans are out-recruiting, out-messaging, and out-hustling extreme Democrats,” NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson said in a release.
The congressional committees exist primarily to raise money and donate to the campaigns of candidates running for seats in the House or Senate.
In the 118th Congress, Republicans are still the majority party in the House despite some departures.
In the Senate, Republicans hold 49 of the 100 seats, and Democrats have 48.
Nevertheless, Democrats are considered the majority party because the three independent lawmakers—Sens. Angus King (I-Maine), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.)—caucus with the Democrats.
All 435 House seats and a third of the Senate seats will be up for election in November 2024.
