Mike Pence and Republicans launch huge fundraising drive amid fears of Democratic landslide in 2018 midterms

An event being headlined by Mr Pence is reportedly expected to raise $500,000

Vice President Mike Pence is preparing to embark on a cross-country campaign tour for Republican candidates in swing states (Getty)

Vice President Mike Pence is spearheading a major fundraising effort to fill Republicans’ war chests ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, with Democrats starting to believe they can retake control of Congress.

In preparation for battle to defend or flip several congressional seats, Mr Pence’s political action committee, the Great America Committee, is hosting an all-day event at President Donald Trump’s glamorous hotel in Washington DC, located just blocks from the White House.

Throughout the day, longtime supporters of Mr Pence, including chief executives from various industries, have been shuffling in and out of the hotel’s grand ballroom for a summit before attending a high-dollar fundraising dinner that will be headlined by the Vice President himself.

The event, which is reportedly expected to net $500,000 (£350,000), will draw several prominent Republicans, including Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, according to Politico.

Mr Pence’s launch of the Great America Committee, last year stoked speculation that he would be running for president himself in 2020. But the decision to host the PAC’s event at Mr Trump’s grand hotel could be seen as an effort to quash those rumours; the President’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr, is expected to introduce the vice president at the dinner.

The fundraiser comes a day before Mr Trump is set to address Congress in his State of the Union Address – remarks in which he is expected to again boast about how well the economy is doing under his leadership.

While Mr Trump’s approval ratings remain at historic lows, tourists milling around his Washington DC hotel on Monday lavished praise on the President for his performance.

With the economy doing well – and many individuals being able to keep more of their paychecks because of the GOP tax changes – there is uncertainty over how many voters in traditionally Republican-leaning districts and states will turn out in a non-presidential election year to vote Republicans out of office.

But in several special elections last year, Democratic voters in those areas were unusually motivated to show up and vote, with turnout among female, African American and under-30 voters being particularly notable.

Democrats have done better than they did in 2016 – even when they have lost, experts have said. This pattern – along with the unprecedented numbers of Republican retirements in the House of Representatives, numbers of qualified Democratic challengers who are running, and Democratic fundraising numbers – is starting to make a tsunami of Democratic wins in 2018 look more likely.

Democrats only need a net gain of two seats to win a majority in the 100-member Senate. Meanwhile, the party needs a net gain of 24 to win control of the 435-member House of Representatives. Mr Trump is desperate to maintain a Republican majority in the House, as Democratic control could result in impeachment proceedings against him.

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The Great Action Committee’s fundraiser on Monday indicates that Republicans are not taking the challenge from Democrats lightly.

Along with Monday’s event, Mr Pence is also preparing to embark on a cross-country campaign tour for Republican candidates in swing states. On Friday, he will appear at a fundraiser for Pennsylvania Republican Rick Saccone, who is competing in a high-profile March special election for a House seat.

Groups aligned with the conservative Koch brothers also plan to spend between $300m and $400m on politics and policy in the 2018 cycle – likely in the high end of that range, officials told The Washington Post. That’s up from $250m in the 2016 elections, the newspaper reported.