Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin defended his organization’s fundraising record despite a massive Republican advantage and implored allies to help raise more funds in the final few months before the November midterm elections.
“While we’ve raised a record amount of money, and it is a record in the 198-year history of the DNC, there’s no chair or no team of officers that’s raised more money without the White House in [its] team, but the reality is we need more,” Martin said during an executive committee meeting on Friday. “I don’t want folks to think, well, we’re OK. We need more because we have an administration on the other side, a White House who has auctioned off the federal government, who is essentially giving contracts to the highest bidder, and as a result, are getting their war chest filled by every corporation under the sun.”
President Donald Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., is sitting on a massive $400 million war chest, according to the organization’s latest Federal Election Commission filing. The president has claimed that he will deploy the financial resources to boost Republicans nationwide, but the political action committee has yet to spend a significant amount.
Republicans control the White House and both branches of Congress, helping bolster their financial coffers against their Democratic counterparts, Martin noted in his remarks.
“The DNC, the DCCC, the DSCC, the [Democratic Governors Association], the [Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee]. Every committee has been outraised by the Republicans,” said Martin on Friday. “And that means we need more, and we need to do more.” The gaps between the congressional committees, however, are narrower than the national committees.
The Republican National Committee had roughly $129 million at the end of June, while the National Republican Senatorial Committee had $56 million cash on hand, and the National Republican Congressional Committee had nearly $93 million cash on hand.
In contrast, the DNC ended June with $16.3 million cash on hand and more than $18 million in debt, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had $41 million on hand, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had $73 million on hand.
Individual Democratic candidates, however, have outraised their Republican competitors.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) raised $20 million and had a whopping $42 million on hand at the end of June, compared to his competitor, Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), who raised $2.2 million in the second quarter and enters the general election with $2.2 million on hand. Former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who is running for the state’s open Senate seat, ended the second quarter having raised $8.2 million and with over $20 million cash on hand. Cooper’s opponent, former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, raised $2.9 million and finished the quarter with $3.5 million on hand in the same time period.
Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who is running an uphill battle to flip the state’s Senate seat blue, raised $28.3 million in the second quarter and had $21.5 million in the bank, while state Attorney General Ken Paxton, the GOP Senate nominee, brought in $2.2 million to his campaign account and had $1.8 million on hand.Â
Concern over Martin’s stewardship of the DNC’s finances has grown in recent months, leading the chairman to privately weigh bringing in additional help, according to The Bulwark. NOTUS also previously reported that Martin said he would convene a special finance committee to help with fundraising during a DNC members-only call.
A source familiar with Martin’s comments to DNC members confirmed the details to the Washington Examiner. “To meet this moment, and to keep our momentum, we need more resources,” Martin said on the call. “And I want you to hear from me today that I get this and I’m on it — and we’re ratcheting up. That’s why I’m convening a special finance committee, with big-name fundraisers, to bring more financial firepower to the DNC.”
Martin later made the ask for help explicit during the summer DNC gathering in Austin, Texas.
“I’ve always said to teams that I’ve managed over the years that it’s never a sign of failure to ask for help, because we’re not failing on raising money, but we need to raise more,” Martin said during the public executive committee meeting. “And so, I’ve asked for help, and we’re bringing in more reinforcements … We’re bringing in more folks to help in these final 81 days, so that we have the resources we need to make sure we win up and down the ballot.”
A DNC official told the Washington Examiner that Martin is willing to work with Democrats who can help prop up the DNC’s coffers as the party hopes to retake control of at least one branch of Congress.
DNC CLOSES RANKS AROUND KEN MARTIN AS PARTY WEIGHS OFFICIAL STANCE ON ISRAEL AND ICE
The DNC’s national finance co-chair, Chris Korge, defended the DNC against negative press, claiming in his public report to the DNC that “to date, we are 107% to goal in fundraising.”
“And we expect it to be even better before the end of this cycle,” added Korge.