The Republican Governors Association raised $33.1 million in the first quarter, besting the Democratic Governors Association by nearly $10 million during the first three months of the election year.
The RGA’s record-setting fundraising pace for the 2022 cycle amounted to a 40% increase over the group’s first-quarter haul four years ago, as the GOP played defense in a midterm election that boosted Democrats to victory in governor’s races in battlegrounds across the Midwest.
This uptick reflects favorable political winds for Republicans as the party, backed by the RGA’s money and manpower, attempts to recapture governor’s mansions in Kansas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and elsewhere.
LIZ CHENEY RAISES $3 MILLION IN FIRST QUARTER WHILE UNDER FIRE FROM TRUMP
“This record-setting first quarter equips the RGA with the resources necessary to highlight Democrats’ failures and support our Republican incumbents and candidates across the country,” RGA Executive Director Dave Rexrode said Monday in a statement first shared with the Washington Examiner.
The RGA declined to disclose the size of its war chest as of March 31.
But the group has been spending early to bolster candidates such as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who faces a primary challenge from David Perdue. The former senator has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
The RGA also has begun reserving television time for the fall in states like Arizona, where the GOP is playing defense, and states such as Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin, where it is on offense.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Meanwhile, the DGA raised $23.25 million in the first quarter, marking a 180% improvement over the first three months of 2018. The group said in a press release that the total raised equaled its largest quarterly haul in history.
The DGA did not publicize its cash on hand.
