AOC Rules? All 62 Freshmen House Democrats Have Raised More Than GOP Opponents: Report

July 29, 2019 Topic: Politics Blog Brand: The Buzz Tags: AOCDemocratsRepublicansPolitics

AOC Rules? All 62 Freshmen House Democrats Have Raised More Than GOP Opponents: Report

What to make of it? 

 

All 62 freshman House Democrats have reportedly raised significantly more than their top Republican opponents ahead of the 2020 election so far.

Additionally, all 31 Democrats from districts where President Donald Trump won in 2016 and all 39 Democrats who won previously Republican-held seats in 2018 have raised more than their Republican opponents.

 

And in almost every case, the difference isn’t even close, The Associated Press reported Monday.

Democrats control the House 235-197 after gaining 40 seats in November. Most of the Party’s representatives have raised multiples of their challengers’ totals raised so far for 2020.

Freshman Democratic California Rep. Katie Hill, for example, has raised $1.3 million so far this year, which is more than triple the fundraising totals her four Republican challengers have raised combined. Hill won a seat that had been held by Republicans since 1993 in California’s 25th congressional district.

“The more you can raise early on, the more you’re going to be able to solidify your seat and show that it’s not worth investments on behalf of Republicans,” she said, according to AP.

Freshman South Carolina Democrat Joe Cunningham, who represents a district where Trump won in 2016, has raised almost $1.3 million — more than quadruple the amount his top Republican opponent has raised and double the amount from his top three Republicans challengers combined.

Freshman Democratic New Jersey Rep. Tom Malinowski, who snagged a Republican seat last November, has brought in double the fundraising amount of Republican opponent Tom Kean Jr., who serves as minority leader of the New Jersey Senate.

The self-proclaimed “Squad” of new House Democrats — which includes New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Crotez, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley — has brought in large numbers, as well.

In the second quarter of 2019 alone, Ocasio-Cortez raised $1.2 million, Omar has raised $1 million, Tlaib raised $302,000 and Pressley raised $177,000.

The Party’s numbers are “a wake-up call to every Republican that you’ve got to be out there doing the work, making sure we beat the trend of money coming in,” Illinois Republican Rep. Rodney Davis told AP.

 

But the race still has a long way to go, and many serious Republican challengers have yet to formally commence their campaigns for 2020.

Former Democratic New York Rep. Steve Israel told AP, “We haven’t seen anything yet. Wait till the super PACs start dropping their bombs later in the cycle.”

In 2018, The Congressional Leadership Fund, a GOP super PAC, raised $159 million for Republican House candidates, which topped Democrats’ $96 million House Majority Fund.

“I wish they were all broke and poor, but they’re not — they’re rich and ready, so it will make it harder,” Republican Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole told The Washington Post on July 22. “We had some good numbers, too, but we’ve got to do better if you’re going to get the majority back.”

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Image: Reuters.