Republicans parlayed their congressional majorities into a massive influx of contributions. The old guard of Democratic House incumbents can’t measure up to their newer members when it comes to raising cash. And the crypto money continues to flow.
The arrival of the second-quarter fundraising deadline Tuesday shed light on some key races in next year’s midterm elections, showing especially favorable news for many incumbents in both parties. The returns were not positive for all officials, however — even some high-profile and longtime members of Congress.
Here are some takeaways from this quarter’s filings:
Republicans are riding high
It’s good to be in the majority. Republicans have raised a ton of cash this year and in the most recent fundraising quarter, flexing majority control of the House and Senate into a torrent of donations. That has helped vulnerable incumbents, challengers in swing seats and allied outside groups.
Rep. Scott Perry raised nearly $900,000 from April through June in his south-central Pennsylvania swing district, for instance, while Sen. Susan Collins of Maine collected about $2.4 million — totals broadly representative of fundraising hauls for endangered GOP lawmakers. Outside groups allied with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, meanwhile, said they have raised more than $140 million between them since the start of the year.
The GOP will likely face a challenging political climate during next year’s midterms, as parties that control the White House traditionally do. But so far, at least, they won’t have to worry about being underfunded as they try to fend off Democrats.
There were some exceptions to Republicans’ strength
There was one Republican incumbent whose fundraising wasn’t especially impressive: Sen. Joni Ernst. The Iowa lawmaker failed to quiet rumors that she is considering retirement when she reported raising just over $720,000 during the second quarter. It’s not a tiny haul, and the senator does have $3.4 million on hand, but it’s also far from a jaw-dropping figure for a lawmaker who could face a stiff test in the general election if the national environment shifts against the GOP next year. Another senator facing reelection next year, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, raised over 13 times more than Ernst last quarter.
Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, who is running in the state’s open-seat Senate race, didn’t fare much better, posting a $750,000 haul. (His campaign says he raised double that amount, if a joint fundraising committee is taken into account.) A potential Rogers foe in a Republican primary, Rep. Bill Huizenga, actually outraised him when comparing campaign account to campaign account.
The Democratic establishment reckoning comes to the fundraising game
Old-guard, establishment House Democrats in tough seats had lackluster fundraising, especially compared to their newer and often younger counterparts. Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Vicente Gonzalez couldn’t hit the half-million mark. Neither could Rep. Henry Cuellar, even after loaning himself $200,000. Rep. Raul Ruiz managed to raise under $370,000 (though he has over $2 million cash on hand). And Reps. Jim Costa and Dina Titus didn’t even clear $300,000.
Meanwhile, a number of competitive freshmen brought home significantly more. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet raised around $800,000. Rep. Adam Gray brought home about $721,000. Rep. Laura Gillen raised just over $741,000. And second-term Democrats in competitive districts also did comparatively well — for example, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez netted just under $905,000.
Incumbents had the money in grudge matches
Incumbents held on to a fundraising advantage in competitive House races featuring a rematch of last election’s candidates, although their opponents still raised competitive sums.
Republican Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s 1st District outraised Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan in the second quarter, about $1.3 million to just over $812,000. But Bohannan only announced her candidacy last month in her third try for the seat. In Wisconsin, Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden outraised Democrat Rebecca Cooke, who is making her third bid for the seat. He raised over $1.2 million to her nearly $938,000. The overwhelming majority of Cooke’s money came from individual donors, compared to just under half of Van Orden’s haul.
Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes of Ohio raised just under $524,000. But her opponent, Republican Kevin Coughlin, came in under that with about $302,000. And Democratic Rep. Maggie Goodlander raised just under $516,000, compared to Lily Tang Williams’ approximately $249,000 — which included an $80,000 loan to herself in her third run for the district.
Democrats don’t have their full lineup yet
Democrats are still waiting to see whether Gov. Janet Mills of Maine and former Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina will run for Senate in their respective home states, which may be hurting fundraising prospects for Democratic candidates already trying to run in those places.
Jordan Wood of Maine, for instance, raised a respectable $1.6 million the last three months ($250,000 of which came from his own money), but he also spent nearly $500,000 on digital fundraising consulting. Former Rep. Wiley Nickel collected just over a half-million dollars, meanwhile, which doesn’t go far in a big state like North Carolina.
Democrats still hope that Mills and Cooper decide to enter their races, along with former Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio. The Democratic Senate primary in Ohio has yet to even attract a marquee candidate, as Democrats there are waiting to see whether Brown runs.
The tale of two vulnerable Republican senators
In Louisiana, Sen. Bill Cassidy showed his fundraising chops, raising $1.6 million this quarter, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings. Louisiana Republicans have criticized Cassidy for his rocky relationship with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy and his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda is massively popular in the red state. Cassidy was publicly skeptical of Kennedy’s appointment, only agreeing to confirm him after several “intense conversations.” Despite the backlash from Lousiana Republicans, Cassidy has still been successful at campaigning this year. By April, Cassidy had raised a little over $1 million, with $7.5 million on hand. That number rose to $8.7 million at the end of this quarter.
Meanwhile, in Texas, Sen. John Cornyn is facing a formidable fundraiser in his primary against state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cornyn’s campaign raised more than $800,000, while his joint fundraising committee raised $3.1 million. Despite the drama surrounding Paxton’s marriage, he raised $2.9 million last quarter, and is still seen as the preferred nominee by many Republicans. Meanwhile, Rep. Ronny Jackson, who some Republicans speculate is considering a bid, has $4 million on hand. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who is reportedly also considering a Senate bid, has $3 million ready to spend after raising $400,000 in the quarter.