The Senate Republicans’ campaign committee raised $3.3 million in July, putting its 2016 campaign war chest at $7.6 million.
The NRSC, formerly the National Republican Senatorial Committee, raised more than it did in the month of July in three previous off-years of 2013, 2011 and 2009, when Senate Republicans were in the minority. The NRSC will report no debt in its latest report to the Federal Election Commission, the committee said in a press release.
Senate Republicans are girding for a tough 2016 election cycle. Unlike 2014, when the GOP was playing offense against several Democrats who were running for re-election in Republican-leaning states, the shoe is on the other foot this time around. Democrats need to win 5 seats net to take back the majority they lost last year, and are targeting GOP incumbents in blue states like Illinois, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, as well swing states like Ohio and New Hampshire.
Democrats also are hoping to flip an open Republican held seat in the battleground of Florida. Republicans have their eye on flipping an open Democratic held seat in Nevada and hope to target Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, in Colorado.
