Global Courant 2023-04-13 16:00:57
FIRST ON FOX – The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is off to a fast start building a formidable war chest as it looks to expand the GOP majority in the chamber in next year’s election.
Thanks in part to large cash transfers from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise — the top two Republicans in the room — the NRCC reports that they raised $25.8 million in the first quarter of January-March 2023, including $14. 7 last month.
The NRCC reported $24 million in cash at the end of March. Fundraising numbers from the House GOP campaign committee were first shared with Fox News on Thursday.
“Money and message are the majority, and the NRCC is sprinting out the gates on both fronts. As we focus our efforts on recruiting top candidates and building well-funded campaigns around them, we are building our war chest to tell the story of how the Republican majority works for the American people,” NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson, RN.C., said in a statement.
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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., celebrates after taking the oath of office in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 7, 2023. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
McCarthy, who raised a record $35 million in the first quarter — as Fox News first reported late last month — transferred $7 million to the NRCC over the past three months. McCarthy, the longtime California congressman known as one of Washington DC’s most prolific fundraisers, blasted his way through a historic 15-vote speaker election over five days at the beginning of the year.
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Scalise, R-La., transferred $3 million to the House GOP campaign arm. Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., who has led the NRCC for the past two cycles, transferred $585,000 and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, RN.Y., transferred $200,000.
“Growing our majority is a team sport. Our team captains have done everything they can to lead by example. We are extremely grateful for their tireless and generous support.” Hudson, who is in his sixth term in the House, stressed.
Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican from North Carolina, speaks at a news conference following a House Republican rally at the Capitol in Washington, DC, March 9, 2021. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The fundraising helped the NRCC pay off its debt. The commission started the cycle $15 million in the red, but ended the first quarter with only $5.5 million in debt left after paying off $9.5 million during the first three months of the year.
Republicans controlled the House majority for eight years before Democrats won back the chamber in the 2018 midterm elections. Two years later, in the 2020 election, the GOP defied expectations and took a big bite out of the majority of the Democrats.
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The GOP won the majority in the November 2022 election, but red wave hopes never materialized and the party is holding on to a fragile majority of 222-213. That means Democrats need a net gain of just five seats to regain control of the chamber next year.
The rival Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has yet to announce the first-quarter fundraising effort. The DCCC raised $8 million in January and $12.7 million in February. The House Democrats’ campaign arm entered March with $21.3 million in cash.
