Online contributions to the National Republican Congressional Committee spiked more than 400% in two years, erasing the critical, grassroots fundraising advantage House Democrats have enjoyed for several years, just as the 2022 battle for Congress heats up.
The first quarter of this year saw the NRCC surpass the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the first time in contributions from grassroots donors who give in small amounts online. The House Republican campaign arm outpaced the DCCC on this front by $1.7 million. Second-quarter comparisons were not yet available — but the NRCC boasted total online contributions for the period of $14.1 million, a 325% jump over what it raised two years ago.
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Overall, the NRCC hauled in $26.2 million online from Jan. 1 to June 30, a growth of 403% over the $5.2 million the committee raised digitally during the first six months of 2019.
“The NRCC’s investments in its digital operation are helping ensure Republican candidates have the resources they need to retake the majority in 2022,” committee spokesman Michael McAdams said Monday.
In the early 2000s, the DCCC invested in the new arena of online fundraising, while the NRCC was still relying on the more traditional telemarketing, direct mail, and wealthy donors who write max-out checks. As online giving gradually accounted for higher percentages of political fundraising, the DCCC accrued an edge over the NRCC that would last for more than a decade until, in the 2018 midterm elections, Democratic challengers swamped embattled Republican incumbents.
That cycle, Democrats recaptured the House for the first time in eight years, in a 40-seat swing.
House Republicans responded by overhauling their fundraising strategy. Ahead of the 2020 elections, the NRCC poured money into attracting digital grassroots donors and waited for the returns to materialize. The NRCC’s willingness to exhibit strategic patience was significant. Assembling a lucrative list of online grassroots donors requires a substantial upfront investment, while the cash it generates sometimes takes a year or two, or more, to start flowing in.
As a part of its new focus on internet fundraising, the NRCC increased staffing in that department and began using voter data and analytics to drive online fundraising messaging.
Meanwhile, the DCCC posted its best off-year June in history, raising close to $14.4 million to close out its best-ever second quarter, with just under $36.5 million raised. The House Democratic campaign arm entered July with a $44 million-plus war chest, giving it $19 million more to spend on the 2022 campaigns than it had at the same point in 2019.
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“Our strong fundraising success shows American voters are rejecting Republican extremism and know just how critical a Democratic House Majority is to protecting our democracy and delivering for American families,” Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, DCCC chairman, said in a statement.
The only problem for the DCCC? The NRCC did even better in the second quarter, raising $45.4 million and banking $55 million. House Republicans are only a handful of seats shy of the majority as the decennial redistricting process is set to play out.
