EXCLUSIVE — The Republican National Committee said it raised $14.8 million in May, ending the month with $125.5 million on hand as it continues padding its coffers ahead of November, according to figures first shared with the Washington Examiner.
The cash on hand is the highest ever for the committee at the end of a month. In fact, the committee has set new cash-on-hand high-water marks in the last three monthly Federal Election Commission reports.
The RNC ended March with $116.8 million on hand and April with $123.9 million on hand.
“Republicans have the candidates and resources needed to win the midterms, but this work is far from over. Democrats will continue to fundraise and spend millions in an effort to prevent President Trump from serving a full four years in office,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “That’s why it is imperative that we keep investing, organizing, and building on our momentum all the way through Election Day.”
The RNC’s cash total dwarfs its Democratic counterpart, which has not announced its June numbers yet. The Democratic National Committee ended April with $14.4 million on hand and $17.4 million in debt as the party has struggled to fundraise under Chairman Ken Martin’s leadership.
The Republican committee’s money will be consequential for the midterm elections. While the GOP’s total laps the DNC’s, several Democratic candidates in high-stakes Senate races — including Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio — have established massive war chests. The RNC will likely need to dip into its coffers to provide supplemental assistance.
The Supreme Court could hand them a gift to do that more effectively. The court has yet to issue a ruling in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, which challenged the current limits on coordinated spending between party committees and candidates.
The plaintiffs argued the limits violate the First Amendment, and justices seemed warm to the idea during oral argument.
If the Supreme Court were to side with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, committees could potentially spend an unlimited amount of money in coordination with candidates, allowing them to spend money more efficiently.
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Such a ruling would invariably benefit the RNC because of its massive cash advantage, and it could put more dollars directly behind its candidates in key races.
The RNC has also benefited from Vice President JD Vance’s position as finance chairman, the first sitting vice president to serve in the role. Vance has raised tens of millions of dollars this cycle and expanded the RNC’s high-dollar network, according to the committee.