In a year like this one, Republicans have to look for what few bright spots and silver linings they can find.
The Republican Attorneys General Association easily out raised its Democratic counterpart in the first quarter of 2018, hauling in more than $5 million.
RAGA reported $4.54 million in contributions from January to March and confirmed to the Washington Examiner its total haul across all entities amounted to $5.13 million. The Democratic Attorneys General Association reported $2.38 million in contributions last quarter, bringing its total across all entities to $2.7 million, according to Politico.
DAGA’s IRS filing shows its largest contribution in the first quarter came from a $150,000 donation made by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund on January 23. The group also received $100,000 on January 30 from Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun control advocacy organization backed by Michael Bloomberg, and $100,000 from both the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. RAGA’s largest contributions were $250,000 checks from the Judicial Crisis Network, Koch Industries, and the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform.
For the entire 2018 cycle, DAGA’s fundraising is badly lagging its rival. According to Politico Pro, the group has raised $10.2 million for the cycle, compared with RAGA’s $21 million. Thirty attorneys general seats are up for election this year, including 12 held by Democrats and 18 held by Republicans.
DAGA launched a $15 million campaign last fall with the hopes of “catch[ing] up to the Republican Attorneys General Association,” Politico reported at the time. The group has declared its attorneys generals to be the “first line of defense against [the Trump] administration’s extreme agenda.”
