House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) announced a large fundraising haul during the first quarter of the year, offering a glimpse of hope to Republicans as they seek to outraise Democrats and defend their majority in the lower chamber.
Emmer raked in $2.2 million during the first quarter, which is more than double his previous best fundraising haul, according to the majority whip’s office. The sum builds upon GOP efforts led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to bolster its fundraising numbers ahead of the 2024 elections.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS IN TIGHT RACES PLAY CATCH-UP AFTER EXPENSIVE MIDTERM CAMPAIGNS
“House Republicans have a simple message to voters and donors across the country regarding our first quarter in the majority: promises made, promises kept,” Emmer said in a statement. “This quarter’s fundraising total helps ensure we will have the resources necessary to expand our House majority and continue delivering solutions to the most pressing issues facing American families. I want to thank every one of our donors for believing in our mission of restoring commonsense leadership in Washington, DC.”
Emmer transferred roughly $585,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee as well as another $150,000 toward vulnerable Republican incumbents seeking reelection in 2024, according to his office.
The strong fundraising numbers come as the NRCC seeks to overcome its Democratic counterpart after it outraised the NRCC by millions of dollars in both January and February.
As Republicans vie to hold on to their slim majority in the House, GOP strategists have created a list of vulnerable Democrats who won their midterm elections by less than 5 percentage points in 2022. Of those, at least six Democrats in toss-up districts have reported less than $54,000 cash on hand as of Jan. 1 — possibly putting them at a disadvantage as they head into the 2024 cycle.
But Democrats have pointed to their ability to outraise the GOP during the midterm election cycle, which in turn helped the party pull out a better-than-expected performance.
“The NRCC [chairman] has admitted that House Democrats are proven formidable fundraisers capable of outraising Republican opponents time and time again,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Tommy Garcia told the Washington Examiner last month. “Battle-tested, these House Democrats will be well prepared with the right resources to win their seats again in 2024.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
All 435 seats are up for grabs in 2024 as Republicans fight to hold their threadbare majority in the lower chamber. Of these, 42 are considered competitive, with most currently held by Democrats compared to Republicans — giving the GOP a slight advantage as it prepares for the next election cycle.
However, of the 42 competitive seats, 18 are held by Republicans in districts that voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, compared to just five Democrats who must defend their seats in districts carried by former President Donald Trump.
