CNN
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When Kevin McCarthy was ousted as Home speaker final fall, Republican operatives had been involved that his successor, Mike Johnson, wouldn’t be capable of replicate his fundraising prowess. Up to now, these considerations seem legitimate, new federal filings present.
Johnson introduced earlier this month that he had raised $20 million whole within the first three months of the yr, funds that can go towards his marketing campaign, fellow Republican colleagues and celebration committees. By comparability, within the first quarter of 2022, McCarthy introduced elevating $31.5 million for Republicans, and within the first quarter of 2023, he raised much more, $35 million.
The newest filings from the leaders’ joint fundraising committees – which had been due Monday with the Federal Election Fee – additional illustrate that disparity. In final yr’s first quarter, McCarthy’s joint fundraising committee, Shield The Home 2024, raised $28 million. In distinction, Johnson’s joint fundraising operation, Develop the Majority, raised $9 million between January and March of this yr.
McCarthy, in fact, had years to domesticate relationships with donors and distribute funds to allies, whereas Johnson took over as speaker lower than six months in the past and faces the problem of constructing out his fundraising operation in an election yr. Nonetheless, his lack of ability to match McCarthy’s fundraising may add stress to the already embattled speaker as he continues to face ouster threats from rebellious members of his caucus.
In an announcement about his fundraising, Johnson stated that “in lower than six months as Speaker, we have now hit the bottom working to make sure Home Republicans can have the assets essential to win in battlegrounds throughout America – and we can’t decelerate now. Whereas households endure beneath growing inflation, rising crime, and open borders, we are going to keep targeted on our objective to develop the bulk in November and ship options for our nation.”
In the meantime, the newest filings present that McCarthy, who resigned from Congress on the finish of December, nonetheless has $6.3 million banked in his private marketing campaign account, funds he may direct towards different marketing campaign efforts. He did a few of that within the first quarter, making $4,000 contributions to each Vince Fong, a former staffer and California assemblyman who’s working to succeed him in his Central Valley seat, and to Louisiana Rep. Garret Graves, a McCarthy ally whose seat grew to become extra Democratic beneath a brand new map that’s presently being challenged.
McCarthy additionally distributed a few of the remaining funds in his management PAC in the course of the first quarter, transferring $200,000 to a pro-Fong tremendous PAC and notably giving 2,000 to a major challenger to Virginia Rep. Bob Good, chief of the Home Freedom Caucus and one among eight Home Republicans who voted to oust him as speaker.
Nonetheless, McCarthy’s marketing campaign committee refunded roughly $2.8 million value of contributions final quarter, and he terminated his management PAC in February, indicators that he’s winding down his political operation.
The brand new FEC information additionally present how Senate GOP whip John Thune of South Dakota and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who held the place earlier than him, moved cash round to win affect and jockey for votes as they vie to succeed Mitch McConnell, who’s stepping down as their celebration’s Senate chief in November.
Cornyn, a former Nationwide Republican Senatorial Committee chair, transferred $1.2 million to the group and round $1.3 million to Republican Senate candidates and incumbents up for reelection by way of his joint fundraising account.
In the meantime, Thune’s management PAC, Heartland Values, despatched $120,000 to a joint fundraising committee for the GOP’s Senate candidates. He additionally directed $1.2 million the NRSC’s method by way of his personal joint fundraising operation.
The 2 main tremendous PACs aligned with Senate leaders of each events additionally filed their quarterly stories Monday.
Senate Majority PAC, the Democratic outfit, considerably outraised its GOP counterpart, Senate Management Fund, $39.3 million to $26.8 million. The Democratic tremendous PAC additionally entered April with extra cash banked – $92.4 million to $59.5 million. Each teams are poised to play decisive roles this fall: Senate Majority PAC has already introduced plans to spend $239 million on a sequence of key races, whereas Senate Management Fund has introduced $130 million in its personal fall reservations.
The brand new FEC filings additionally make clear different intraparty divides.
Maine Sen. Susan Collins’s management PAC donated $15,000 to Republican Rep. John Curtis’ bid to succeed retiring Sen. Mitt Romney in Utah. Different contenders for the seat embrace former Utah Home Speaker Brad Wilson and lawyer Brent Hatch, a former George H.W. Bush aide whose father, the late Sen. Orrin Hatch, held this seat for seven phrases earlier than Romney.
And in one other instance of inside GOP battle, California Rep. John Duarte donated $2,000 by way of his management PAC to a major challenger to South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, one other of the eight Republicans who voted for McCarthy’s ouster final fall.
Whereas many members used their funds to compete for affect and form elections, the newest FEC stories additionally confirmed how these heading for the exits are managing their leftover piles of money.
Impartial Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona entered April with $10.1 million within the financial institution. Since saying on March 5 that she wouldn’t be working for reelection, she spent roughly $180,000 on numerous bills by way of the remainder of the month, together with safety, journey and payroll.
Retiring Sen. Joe Manchin’s management PAC donated $5,000 to Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott, who’s looking for the Democratic nomination to succeed him in ruby-red West Virginia. In March, CNN reported that Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer had approached Manchin about looking for reelection as an unbiased. A month earlier, Manchin dominated out working for president on a third-party ticket.
Indicted New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, who’s not looking for the Democratic nod for reelection this yr however has left open the potential for an unbiased run, raised simply $1,200 in first-quarter contributions. He spent practically $600,000 from January by way of April, with $550,000 for authorized charges in his bribery case.
In the meantime, unbiased Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has not stated if he’ll search a fourth time period this yr. However his first-quarter fundraising report suggests he could also be making ready to serve once more: He raised $1.1 million and entered April with $9.8 million in money readily available.
CNN’s Fredreka Schouten contributed to this report.