EXCLUSIVE - The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is sprinting out of the gates in building a formidable war chest as part of its mission to regain the House majority in next year’s elections.
The DCCC, under the leadership of House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York and committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington State, hauled in $37.7 million in the January-March first quarter of 2023 fundraising, with $16.9 million coming in March alone.
The fundraising the past three months by the House Democrats’ campaign committee is a record for the first quarter of an off-election year, and it’s nearly $12 million more than the rival National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) brought in during the same period. The NRCC’s $25.8 million in first quarter fundraising was first reported by Fox News last week.
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Jeffries raised $26.6 million directly for the DCCC the past three months, as part of his overall $33.4 million haul. The minority leader’s team noted that Jeffries traveled to nine states and put in over 20,000 miles the past three months as part of his efforts to win back the House majority.
"These record-breaking funds will be critical in our fight to restore a House Democratic majority in 2024 – and thanks to the tireless work of Leader Hakeem Jeffries, our entire Democratic Caucus, and grassroots supporters across the country, we are well on our way," DelBene said in a statement.
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And she charged that "after 100 days of chaos, inaction, and extremism, voters are showing they’re ready to send House Republicans back to the minority in 2024."
Republicans controlled the House majority for eight years before the Democrats won back the chamber in the 2018 midterms. Two years later, in the 2020 elections, the GOP defied expectations and took a big bite out of Democrats’ majority.
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The GOP captured the majority in the November 2022 elections, but hopes of a red wave never materialized and the party is holding onto a fragile 222-213 majority. That means Democrats need a net gain of just five seats to win back control of the chamber next year.
The DCCC reports ending the first quarter with $26.68 million cash on hand, a slightly more than the $24 million the NRCC had in its coffers at the end of March.
Eight million dollars of the NRCC’s fundraising haul was a transfer of funds from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The longtime congressman from California, who’s known as one of the most prolific fundraisers in Washington D.C., brought in a record $35 million in fundraising during the first quarter, as Fox News first reported last month.
