Exclusive: House GOP hits record cash advantage over Democrats

Kate Santaliz

A man in a dark suit and red tie waves from a stage, flanked by American flags. Large display screens behind him show government imagery with blue neon lighting. — National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson takes the stage at Republicans' midterm convention in Dallas on Sept. 10. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The House Republican campaign arm raised $13.5 million in August, Axios has learned, widening its financial edge over Democrats heading into the final stretch of the midterms.

Why it matters: The National Republican Congressional Committee is entering the final weeks before Election Day with a $13 million cash advantage over its Democratic counterpart — the largest lead the committee has ever held at this point in the election cycle.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised $12 million in August, $1.5 million less than the NRCC.
The NRCC ended the month with $89 million in cash on hand, compared with $76 million for the DCCC.

The big picture: Republicans' committee-level advantage comes as both parties are pouring money into an increasingly narrow battlefield in the closing weeks of the campaign.

The NRCC has already begun putting its cash advantage to work through coordinated spending with candidates after the Supreme Court cleared the way for national party committees to spend unlimited amounts in coordination with their candidates.
Earlier this month, the NRCC reserved nearly $9 million in TV ads across more than 20 races.
As of Sept. 18, the NRCC has spent $16.9M in ads across 39 districts while the DCCC has spent $3.7M in ads across 13 districts, according to AdImpact.

What they're saying: "While House Democrats bowed down to the socialists, their momentum and fundraising evaporated," NRCC Chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) told Axios in a statement.

"Republicans have the money, the candidates, and the message, and we're putting every dollar to work to defy history and expand this majority in November," Hudson added.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with ad spending data from AdImpact.

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Exclusive: House GOP hits record cash advantage over Democrats

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