DNC Running On Fumes Heading Into Midterm Elections

by Andrew Kerr

The Democratic National Committee raised $5.2 million in December, bringing its total 2017 fundraising haul to $66 million, according to paperwork filed Wednesday evening to the Federal Election Commission.

The total is about half of the Republican National Committee’s estimated 2017 fundraising total of $132.5 million.

In addition to being outraised by nearly a factor of two, the DNC’s available campaign war chest is considerably smaller than the amount held by their Republican counterparts.

The DNC currently has $6.5 million cash on hand with debts of $6.2 million, an amount dwarfed by the RNC’s $38.8 million cash on hand heading into the 2018 midterms.

The disappointing fundraising report comes just days after an unexpected announcement Monday that DNC CEO Jess O’Connell was leaving her post after being on the job for less than a year.

O’Connell’s departure follows the ouster of DNC finance director Emily Mellencamp Smith, who was let go in November after posting weak fundraising numbers.

Former interim DNC chair Donna Brazile rocked the party in early November after publishing a memoir accusing the party of “financial shenanigans that were keeping the party on life support.”

As the DNC sputters, the RNC continues to break fundraising records.

The $132.5 million raised by the RNC in 2017 is the most raised by a party in a non-election year.

“Our strong fundraising numbers reflect voters’ optimism and continued support as President Trump fulfills his promises to the American people,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told the Washington Examiner in January.

“In his first year, President Trump delivered a historic tax cut to the middle-class, slashed regulations, and grew our economy. We look forward to electing more Republican leaders to Congress who will support President Trump’s winning agenda on behalf of the American people.”

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