Rep. Devin Nunes is teaming up with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to raise money for Republicans challenging Democrats in targeted congressional races.
The California Republicans, two of their party’s top House fundraisers, are combining forces via their lucrative lists of grassroots donors who contribute to GOP candidates in small increments online. The cash collected will flow to the party’s strongest challengers in a bid to reclaim the House majority just two years after Democrats won the chamber in a 40-seat swing.
The move comes as Nunes, the senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, posts another big fundraising quarter on the strength of a digital program that has raked in campaign cash since the congressman emerged as a prominent defender of President Trump in early 2017. Nunes, his political team confirmed, raised more than $4.5 million in April, May, and June, a haul that would be considered a significant achievement for many big Senate candidates.
The congressman’s campaign finished the second quarter with more than $10.5 million in the bank to spend on his reelection bid. With this war chest, Nunes is positioned to survive a possibly vigorous challenge from Democrat Phil Arballo in his Republican-leaning, inland Central California district.
Nunes defended Trump throughout the Russia investigation and impeachment proceedings, boosting his profile with grassroots conservatives. The congressman has continued to raise money at a robust clip despite the chill on the economy caused by the coronavirus. In the first fundraising quarter of this year, Nunes raised nearly $4 million and reported cash on and of roughly $8.8 million.
Nunes has become one of the biggest GOP fundraisers in Congress and a favorite headliner for other Republicans on Capitol Hill looking to grow their war chests. He frequently headlines in-person fundraisers, pandemic permitting, and signs email appeals.
Nunes, 46, spent a majority of his nine terms in Congress as a relatively unknown member focused on parochial issues pertaining to his agricultural district. But his role in defending Trump against allegations that his campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 campaign and questioning of the FBI’s investigation methods and use of FISA warrants catapulted him into the national spotlight and made him a darling of conservative media.
