NRCC reports second-lowest fundraising month since 2020 election cycle

The National Republican Congressional Committee raised just under $4 million during the month of August, marking the committee’s second-lowest monthly fundraising total in the last two election cycles.

The NRCC reported a haul of $3.8 million last month, making it the lowest-performing month so far this year, according to public data compiled by the Federal Election Commission. The largest drop in fundraising came from political committees such as PACs or mainstream businesses, with the committee only reporting $41,000 during August — a drop from the $1.3 million recorded the month before.

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Fundraising from grassroots groups has remained steady over the last several months, accounting for nearly 32% of the NRCC’s total haul last month, according to FEC data.

Comparatively, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised more than $8 million during the month of August, more than doubling the NRCC haul. A majority of the DCCC’s fundraising came from unitemized receipts, meaning contributions that are less than $200 typically collected from grassroots groups.

Roughly $2.1 million of the DCCC haul originated from those grassroots efforts, compared to the $1.2 million raised by the NRCC, according to FEC filings.

The NRCC also experienced a dip in fundraising transfers from affiliated and party committees, reporting only $595,000 last month. That drop combined with the decrease in PAC fundraising is largely responsible for the poor overall showing in August, as those two accounts are typically how the NRCC raises the majority of its money each month.

The $3.8 million is the second-lowest haul the NRCC has reported over the last two election cycles, according to data compiled by the FEC. The only month that fared worse was the committee’s haul in December 2021 when the NRCC raised $2.2 million.

It’s not entirely clear what caused the drop in fundraising last month, although it comes as the government prepares for a possible shutdown later this week — something that House Republicans have largely been blamed for by Democrats. Additionally, some GOP lawmakers have also acknowledged a looming shutdown would be the fault of their own party.

“We will have a government shutdown, and it is absolutely Speaker McCarthy’s fault,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said last week. “We cannot blame Joe Biden for not having moved our individual spending bills. We cannot blame House Democrats. We can’t even blame Chuck Schumer in the Senate.”

Spokespeople for the NRCC noted the drop in fundraising could be attributed to the fact that the party has placed an emphasis on member-to-member giving rather than committee fundraising, citing less expensive advertising rates. The committee then pointed to reports that showed the average House Republican running in races that are deemed to be the most competitive of the 2024 cycle raised $700,000 from April through June, ending with roughly $1.2 million cash on hand. Comparatively, House Democrats running in similarly competitive races raised $444,000 during that same time period, ending with an average of $669,000 cash on hand.

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All 435 seats are up for grabs in 2024 as Republicans seek to hold their slim majority in the lower chamber. Of these, 42 are considered competitive, with most of those 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. That means there are just enough vulnerable GOP-held seats to keep things competitive heading into the next election cycle.