Fundraising records continue to be challenged by Republicans, a firm sign that the GOP base is rallying behind President Trump as he steps back into campaign mode.
The latest example is from the Republican National Committee, which revealed to Secrets today that it took in the second-biggest haul ever for a May, $27.2 million.
Combined with the fundraising by the Trump campaign and its committees, the GOP operation raised $73.8 million in May and has a whopping $264.7 million in hand and no debt.
More impressive, said officials, is that for the 2019-2020 campaign cycle, Team GOP has raised $816.7 million for the 2020 campaign, which is expected to cost several billion dollars.
And it has continued this month with the one-day fundraising record of $14 million by the Trump campaign and the RNC on Sunday, the president’s birthday and Flag Day. The average donation was $46.
“Enthusiasm for President Trump and his bold leadership in a time of crisis remains strong as he fights to uphold the law and order of our nation, guides our country through a global pandemic, and continues to deliver on his promises,” said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
She added, “Though hidden in his basement out of the spotlight, Joe Biden cannot hide from the fact that President Trump is ushering in a transition to greatness, one that will propel us to victory this November.”
The fundraising numbers hint at the election enthusiasm for Trump and the GOP as they work to protect the party’s control of the Senate and White House.
The highest-ever May total came in 2012, when the GOP felt it had President Barack Obama on the ropes and Mitt Romney was to become the party’s presidential nominee.
With its huge bankroll, the Republican National Committee is fielding its biggest program and data operation ever. It recently announced a new wave of 300 additional field staff, bringing the total “Trump Victory” field team to over 1,100 in targeted states such as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
Overall, the effort has signed up 1.2 million volunteers and has made over 45 million voter contacts.
Last weekend, the RNC-Trump Victory team held a “Summer Kick-Off” and made over 3 million phone calls, knocked on 266,000 doors, held over 500 Trump Victory “Leadership Initiative Trainings,” and activated over 9,000 volunteers, said an RNC official.
What’s more, with the fat bank account, the GOP is doubling its legal budget to $20 million to challenge Democratic efforts to win mail-in voting and other voting compromises. The GOP has set up a campaign to follow those at www.ProtectTheVote.com.
Officials said that the May fundraising was an important demonstration of their effort to stay well ahead of Democratic challenger Joe Biden and dwarf his cash on hand.
The Republicans played up the “staggering 64%” of contributions from small donations of $200 or less.
Big dollar contributors are also writing checks, part of the RNC effort led by McDaniel, party co-Chairman Thomas Hicks, Finance Chairman Todd Ricketts, and the campaign’s national finance Chairwoman Kimberly Guilfoyle. And the party has started to hold in-person fundraisers, implementing coronavirus safety protocols.
Blair Brandt, the Florida co-chair of the Trump Victory Finance Committee for 2020, said that Republicans are eager to support in part because of the current news environment.
“The polarization of the Democratic platform, which is now in many cases staying silent on illegal activities like looting and directly endorsing ideas like dismantling police, has even further fueled widespread support for the president,” he told Secrets.
And, he added, “Combining those extremes with the president’s proactive ‘America First’ stance on trade, prioritizing law and order here at home, and getting our country safely back to work, all translates into unprecedented enthusiasm for his reelection.”
