(Tony Sifert, Headline USA) Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate are badly losing the fundraising battle with their Democratic opponents, Axios has reported.
"A concerted Republican effort to build a small-dollar fundraising apparatus independent of Trump's brand appears to be faltering, while Democrats are building on the massive grassroots financial success they saw in 2020."https://t.co/BI7jgKQntu
— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) July 20, 2022
Although the National Republican Senatorial Committee has raised more than $170 million this cycle, Democratic candidates in Georgia, Florida and Arizona (among other states with close races) “are far out-raising Republicans among donors who give less than $200,” according to Axios.
Similar reports have been issued regarding congressional races in states like Colorado and Nevada, both of which have moved steadily into the “blue” category since the Obama era but now have the potential to flip “red” again.
The Nevada Independent website reported recently that “Republican candidates challenging the Democratic incumbents remain far behind in the money race,” even though Democratic losses remain likely in November.
Colorado Newsline reported that Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet raised almost $3 million more in the second quarter than Joe O’Dea, his Republican opponent.
With only a few exceptions, such as newly red-pilled billionaire Elon Musk, Democrats have almost fully supplanted the GOP as the party of elites and corporate special interests.
Many of the Left’s top donors, such as Michael Bloomberg, Tom Steyer, Hansjorg Wyss and George Soros have set up vast networks of shell companies and dubiously nonpartisan philanthropies to allow their dark-money funds to circulate widely with little notice.
Meanwhile, Axios suggested that both inflation and “Trump-induced donor fatigue” were at the root of Republican fundraising woes, even though Trump himself appears to be unaffected.
“One Republican seeing small-dollar fundraising success is former President Trump, whose political operation has hoovered up more than $60 million from under-$200 donors this cycle,” Axios wrote.
The largest gap reported by Axios appeared in the Arizona Senate race, where Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly raised more than $20 million from small donors while his top three Republican opponents collectively managed only about $2 million.
Both Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence will head to the state this weekend for rallies in support of rival primary contenders hoping to take on Kelly, who is considered to be one of the most politically vulnerable Democrat senators facing re-election.
Republican strategist Colin Reed told Fox News, however, that the fundraising gap won’t matter come November.
“When 85%-90% of the country thinks we’re heading in the wrong direction, depending on which poll you’re looking at, nothing the Democrats can do can buy their way out of the political hole they’re in,” Reed said.
