Top House Republicans urged 80 congressional lawmakers in GOP-leaning districts to give money to colleagues in tight re-election races, during a conference call on Wednesday.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry of North Carolina led the call and asked their colleagues to dig in to their coffers for the purpose of maintaining the Republican majority in the lower chamber.
The National Republican Congressional Committee issued a memo earlier Wednesday telling politicians “in this volatile environment, the current fundraising gap [with Democrats] is unsustainable, and will negatively affect Republican electoral prospects if not addressed.”
Sources who discussed the call with Politico said despite the timing, just hours before the third and final presidential debate, the call to action was not meant to worry anyone about the state of the Republican Party in light of its controversial nominee, Donald Trump.
Republicans have a 60-seat advantage over Democrats in the House, and with the three vacancies, Democrats would need to win 33 seats to take control of the House. The NRCC said lawmakers must take further action to secure their seats through the next Congress
“While Republicans remain in good position to retain a strong majority in the House, that position is becoming increasingly precarious, due to a combination of a volatile national environment and the risk of a substantial spending gap in favor of Democrats,” the RNCC memo said. “If left uncorrected, we could run the risk of facing substantial losses on November 8.”
