Democrats bet kitchen-table issues can blunt GOP money advantage
What's the endgame here?
Democrats are betting affordability messaging and Trump’s sagging approval numbers can help the party flip at least one chamber of Congress in November despite facing a significant fundraising deficit.
The Republican National Committee has vastly out-raised the Democratic National Committee by the end of 2025, according to filings from the Federal Election Commission. The RNC ended 2025 with $95 million in cash on hand, in contrast to the DNC, which ended the year with only $14 million and $17.5 million in debt.
MAGA Inc., a super PAC aligned with Trump, ended 2025 with $304 million cash on hand, a staggering sum for a president who is constitutionally barred from running for president in 2028. Although the super PAC has not publicly announced its specific plans on how to boost Republican candidates running for office this year, the money could help the GOP defy history.
CAR STOP-START SYSTEMS MAY GO AWAY THANKS TO TRUMP DEREGULATION
The Supreme Court could also add to Democratic woes if it strikes down federal law barring political parties from coordinating with individual candidates on campaign advertising.
But despite the steep money gaps, Democrats, who have homed in on the continued economic pain the average family is enduring as part of their off-year campaign strategies, are hoping that messaging on pocketbook issues can overcome their financial problems in 2026.
“As long as Democrats focus on bringing prices down and criticizing Trump for his failed promise to bring prices down on day one of the second administration, as long as we keep focused on that message and get our voters out, we’ll do fine in the midterm elections,” said Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist. “I’ll take the enthusiasm over money any day.”
Fundraising for individual candidates is more spread across the board. An analysis by OpenSecrets showed Republicans have the financial advantage in competitive House seats, while Democrats have the financial advantage in key Senate races.
“When you look at the party numbers, they’re not favorable to Democrats. But if you look at what candidates and individuals are raising, somebody like James Talarico just raised something like over $7 million,” said Kaivan Shroff, a 2024 delegate for former Vice President Kamala Harris. “And that’s just the primary, from a lot of a high number of different donors, which matters a lot too.”
Talarico raised more than $7.4 million in the first six weeks of 2026 in his Texas Senate primary race …
What's the endgame here?
Democrats are betting affordability messaging and Trump’s sagging approval numbers can help the party flip at least one chamber of Congress in November despite facing a significant fundraising deficit.
The Republican National Committee has vastly out-raised the Democratic National Committee by the end of 2025, according to filings from the Federal Election Commission. The RNC ended 2025 with $95 million in cash on hand, in contrast to the DNC, which ended the year with only $14 million and $17.5 million in debt.
MAGA Inc., a super PAC aligned with Trump, ended 2025 with $304 million cash on hand, a staggering sum for a president who is constitutionally barred from running for president in 2028. Although the super PAC has not publicly announced its specific plans on how to boost Republican candidates running for office this year, the money could help the GOP defy history.
CAR STOP-START SYSTEMS MAY GO AWAY THANKS TO TRUMP DEREGULATION
The Supreme Court could also add to Democratic woes if it strikes down federal law barring political parties from coordinating with individual candidates on campaign advertising.
But despite the steep money gaps, Democrats, who have homed in on the continued economic pain the average family is enduring as part of their off-year campaign strategies, are hoping that messaging on pocketbook issues can overcome their financial problems in 2026.
“As long as Democrats focus on bringing prices down and criticizing Trump for his failed promise to bring prices down on day one of the second administration, as long as we keep focused on that message and get our voters out, we’ll do fine in the midterm elections,” said Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist. “I’ll take the enthusiasm over money any day.”
Fundraising for individual candidates is more spread across the board. An analysis by OpenSecrets showed Republicans have the financial advantage in competitive House seats, while Democrats have the financial advantage in key Senate races.
“When you look at the party numbers, they’re not favorable to Democrats. But if you look at what candidates and individuals are raising, somebody like James Talarico just raised something like over $7 million,” said Kaivan Shroff, a 2024 delegate for former Vice President Kamala Harris. “And that’s just the primary, from a lot of a high number of different donors, which matters a lot too.”
Talarico raised more than $7.4 million in the first six weeks of 2026 in his Texas Senate primary race …
Democrats bet kitchen-table issues can blunt GOP money advantage
What's the endgame here?
Democrats are betting affordability messaging and Trump’s sagging approval numbers can help the party flip at least one chamber of Congress in November despite facing a significant fundraising deficit.
The Republican National Committee has vastly out-raised the Democratic National Committee by the end of 2025, according to filings from the Federal Election Commission. The RNC ended 2025 with $95 million in cash on hand, in contrast to the DNC, which ended the year with only $14 million and $17.5 million in debt.
MAGA Inc., a super PAC aligned with Trump, ended 2025 with $304 million cash on hand, a staggering sum for a president who is constitutionally barred from running for president in 2028. Although the super PAC has not publicly announced its specific plans on how to boost Republican candidates running for office this year, the money could help the GOP defy history.
CAR STOP-START SYSTEMS MAY GO AWAY THANKS TO TRUMP DEREGULATION
The Supreme Court could also add to Democratic woes if it strikes down federal law barring political parties from coordinating with individual candidates on campaign advertising.
But despite the steep money gaps, Democrats, who have homed in on the continued economic pain the average family is enduring as part of their off-year campaign strategies, are hoping that messaging on pocketbook issues can overcome their financial problems in 2026.
“As long as Democrats focus on bringing prices down and criticizing Trump for his failed promise to bring prices down on day one of the second administration, as long as we keep focused on that message and get our voters out, we’ll do fine in the midterm elections,” said Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist. “I’ll take the enthusiasm over money any day.”
Fundraising for individual candidates is more spread across the board. An analysis by OpenSecrets showed Republicans have the financial advantage in competitive House seats, while Democrats have the financial advantage in key Senate races.
“When you look at the party numbers, they’re not favorable to Democrats. But if you look at what candidates and individuals are raising, somebody like James Talarico just raised something like over $7 million,” said Kaivan Shroff, a 2024 delegate for former Vice President Kamala Harris. “And that’s just the primary, from a lot of a high number of different donors, which matters a lot too.”
Talarico raised more than $7.4 million in the first six weeks of 2026 in his Texas Senate primary race …
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