House Democrats and Republicans clash over conflicting fundraising totals.

All declared ​candidates file ⁤fundraising numbers for the second quarter

All declared candidates have filed their fundraising numbers ⁢for the second quarter, giving donors ⁣and voters alike a sense of which campaigns are healthy as they head into the 2024 election cycle.

The importance of campaign fundraising and ⁤spending

Campaign fundraising and spending have long played an outsize role in elections because the candidate ⁣who spends⁢ the most money often wins their races. That’s especially true for House races,⁢ in which more than 90% of candidates who spend ⁢more than⁤ their opponents end ‌up taking the seat, ‌according to a data analysis by FiveThirtyEight.

“As ⁣a result, political leaders are‍ quick to‍ amplify strong‌ fundraising reports as evidence of their party’s prowess. It’s a‌ routine process that rarely attracts much attention — unless, of course, it comes amid a crucial election cycle.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem ⁤Jeffries reports impressive fundraising numbers

House Minority ‍Leader⁣ Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) released ⁣his⁢ latest fundraising‍ numbers last week, reporting a haul of⁣ $29 million during the second quarter, bringing ⁣his total to $62.4 million⁤ so far this year. That number taken by itself shows Democrats with an advantage ‍over House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who reported a $21.7 million second quarter fundraising haul ⁤just one week earlier.

Democrats were⁢ quick to jump on those numbers, citing them⁣ as evidence of⁢ greater fundraising strength compared to their GOP counterparts. However, a procedural​ difference in how each party tallies its fundraising has resulted in dueling​ reports — prompting Republicans to accuse Democrats ⁤of artificially inflating their ​numbers.

When internally calculating fundraising numbers, Jeffries’s team will attribute money to the‍ House minority⁢ leader if ‌it was raised at a major campaign event with the Democratic Congressional⁣ Campaign Committee where he⁢ played a major role to boost a ​certain ‌candidate. However, those numbers are not attributed in Jeffries’s public disclosures ‌as‍ they⁤ were not directly ⁢raised by the minority leader himself; ⁣rather, they are included in individual candidates’ statements.

That process​ deviates from ⁤how McCarthy’s team tabulates⁤ such numbers. Instead, the speaker raises money through a number of different joint ⁤fundraising committees, the National Republican⁤ Congressional Committee, and the McCarthy ​Victory Fund.

If McCarthy included money that was raised at events hosted by ‌the National Republican ​Congressional⁢ Committee, his⁢ haul would include an additional ⁢$14.7 million, ⁢his team told the Washington⁣ Free Beacon — prompting GOP officials to accuse Jeffries ⁤of amplifying misleading numbers.

“We‍ all know ​extreme House Democrats⁣ spend taxpayer dollars like ‍it’s monopoly money, but Hakeem Jeffries reporting phony fundraising donations is something no⁣ one expected,” NRCC national press secretary Will ‌Reinert‍ said in a statement.

Democratic officials brushed off those accusations, noting the ⁢numbers simply show a difference in how parties report their fundraising.

“The ‌DCCC has outraised the NRCC two quarters in a row and has raised over $15 million more cycle to date,” said‍ DCCC spokesman Viet Shelton. “Unlike Speaker McCarthy who, because of his tenuous position ​in his conference, is more⁣ concerned with getting credit, House Democratic Leader ‌Hakeem Jeffries is focused on ⁣protecting our battle-tested Frontline members, recruiting top-tier candidates, and holding extreme MAGA Republicans accountable for their inaction.”

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