Democrats raise record amount as they look to take back the House in 2018

House Democrats are breaking fundraising records for the 2018 midterm elections under Donald Trump

(Getty)

The campaign arm for House Democrats raised a record $11.3m in May, as the party looks to make major gains against Republicans in crucial midterm elections.

The Democrats have out-raised their Republican counterparts consistently over the last year, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) quick to celebrate the latest figures.

Despite holding a minority of seats in both houses, the Democrats are celebrating a 30 per cent increase in annual fundraising from this same period in 2016, with over $162m raised in total and more than 360,000 online donors sending money to the committee for the first time.

The DCCC raised more than $11.3m in May, compared to nearly $8m in May 2016. Meanwhile, the average donation is just $17, appearing to reflect the Democratic party’s fundraising efforts and renewed grassroots support.

Having more money than an opposing party doesn’t guarantee a victory, according to campaign finance analysts — but it certainly provides an edge.

“It's impossible to know for sure until it happens, but if the Democrats are able to keep pace or even out-do the Republicans in terms of their fundraising, that would certainly increase their changes for success in November,” Stephen Craig, director of the the political campaigning program at University of Florida, told The Independent.

“Bottom line: If the Dems can keep the money coming in, if they spend it wisely, and especially if they are able to use it to maintain what appears to be an enthusiasm advantage on their side, then their prospects for success in November increase accordingly,” he continued.

DCCC chairman Representative Ben Ray Luján celebrated the record fundraising in a statement, while acknowledging how the Democratic party was forced to heavily outspend Republicans in this year’s California “jungle” primaries in order to remain competitive in the midterms.

“The outpouring of support from grassroots donors is further evidence that Democrats are unified behind the goal of taking back the House,” he said. “While it’s clear that Democrats will be outspent by Republican dark secret outside groups, California demonstrated that the DCCC will not be out-organised or out-worked in the midterms.”

Democrats could be unleashing a more exhaustive fundraising operation than Republicans at this stage, since a number of progressive legislators running for Congress are rejecting money from special interest groups, an area where Republicans tend to raise more funds.

“Raising money is critical to any campaign and should help the DCCC's efforts to turn red districts into blue ones,” said Jeb Barnes, political science professor at the University of Southern California. “But, like any resource, the real question is not how much of it you have but whether you use it wisely. Given the Democratic Party's recent track record, we'll just have to see whether they can turn campaign cash into electoral victories.”

Typically, the party with a majority of seats sees an uptick in donations after numerous election victories, as well as whichever party finds itself in the White House. But the Democrats have employed an aggressive local and digital operation, latching itself onto the Resistance movement and joining forces with progressive organisations working to flip vulnerable Republican seats.

The DCCC has over $60m cash on hand, and is preparing to use that in other battleground primaries like California, where Democrats are facing tough races

“The DCCC’s historic grassroots fundraising combined with incredible candidate fundraising will ensure that Democratic candidates have the resources to share their records of service with the voters who will determine control of the House,” the DCCC said.

In order to take back the House, Democrats need to preserve their 194 Congressional seats and flip a total of 23 more throughout the 2018 election cycle. Meanwhile, a handful of Republican legislators have announced their resignation in recent months and Democrats appear to be gaining ground in traditionally red states, increasing their odds to having a realistic shot at gaining a majority of power in Congress.