First look: GOP leaders drive record haul for House Republican campaign arm

House Republican leaders are plowing money into their national campaign arm, contributing to record-breaking fundraising hauls as the GOP tries to take the majority in November, Axios has learned.

Driving the news: The National Republican Congressional Committee raised $16.5 million in June, bringing its fundraising total for the cycle to $215 million, according to data shared exclusively with Axios.

• A huge chunk came from House Republican leadership: nearly $50 million from Leader Kevin McCarthy, more than $20 million from Whip Steve Scalise and $2.4 million from conference chair Elise Stefanik, according to the NRCC.
• Its total fundraising haul, and the $109 million the NRCC says it had in the bank at the end of June, are committee records for this point in the cycle.
• "The NRCC’s record fundraising totals would not be possible without House Republican leadership’s contributions," the committee said in a statement.

Why it matters: With the 2022 midterms under four months out, both parties are approaching a critical period for voter persuasion.

• That means tens of millions spent wooing a small chunk of the electorate that could sway key contests.

Yes, but: The NRCC is facing off against a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that's also posted mammoth fundraising numbers.

• The DCCC was out-raising its Republican counterpart at the end of May.
• It has not released its June fundraising numbers, which are due later this week.

What they're saying: "GOP momentum continues to build, and we have a record amount of resources ready to prosecute the case against every vulnerable Democrat in the country,” NRCC chair Tom Emmer told Axios in a statement.