Proving anti-Trump fever is alive and well in 2018, Democratic candidates running for Congress this year have collectively raised more than $1 billion for their campaigns.
That’s a record-shattering sum that highlights the party’s zeal to retake the House and Senate and underscores the enormous amount of money flowing into the midterm races.
The $1.06 billion raised through the end of September surpasses the nearly $900 million collected by Republican candidates for Congress in 2012 — previously the largest haul registered by a single party by this point in the election cycle, according to a Washington Post analysis of Federal Election Commission records.
And it is the first time since 2008 — when Democrats swept the White House and both chambers of Congress — that Democratic candidates for House and Senate have outraised Republicans in direct contributions to candidates’ committees.
Republican candidates for Congress raised $709 million through September, FEC records show.
While the fundraising shows remarkable strength on the part of Democrats, it remains to be seen whether the financial advantage can translate to electoral success.
Polls show Democrats likely to recapture the 23 seats they need to take the House, but Republicans are now favored to control the Senate.
But the money aadvantage has boosted Democrats in key House races in a variety of races, like Andy Kim in Central New Jersey, Jared Golden in Northern Maine, and Sean Casten in the Chicago suburbs, all of whom raised over $2 million in their races.
Candidates like Kim Schrier east of Seattle, Josh Harder in California’s Central Valley, Amy McGrath in central Kentucky, and Katie Hill north of Los Angeles all raised over $3 million — massive hauls for candidates, some of whom likely won’t be able to spend all that money in inexpensive television markets.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, a possible 2020 Democratic presidential contender, has set Ohio’s fundraising record.
Campaigns with larger fundraising hauls are able to spend more on television and digitals ads and build out their get-out-the-vote operations, two key factors in deciding races.
Eye-popping numbers like those will keep Republicans up at night through Election Day, with one Republican strategist bluntly telling Politico, “we’re getting our asses kicked.”