Democratic Senate campaign arm raised more than $8.5 million in January

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) raised more than $8.5 million in January, according to figures shared first with The Hill, making it the group’s most prolific month of fundraising of the 2020 cycle to date.

The committee, which works to get Democrats elected to the Senate, ended the month with $19.75 million in cash on hand, according to a DSCC official.

More than 50 percent of the group’s January fundraising haul came from grassroots donations, with an average contribution size of less than $25.

The committee official said that individual online contributions to the committee were up sharply — about 62 percent — from January 2018, ahead of that year’s midterm elections. 

“Our grassroots supporters are chipping in online, on the phones, and in the mail to ensure Democrats flip the Senate in 2020,” said Scott Fairchild, the executive director of the DSCC. “We’re continuing to break committee records and raise the resources we need to take advantage of a map that keeps moving in our direction.”

The fundraising boost suggests that the DSCC saw contributions pour in even as Democrats in the Senate moved to convict President Trump in an impeachment trial centered around his efforts to pressure Ukrainian officials to announce investigations that could have benefited him politically.

That trial ultimately ended with Trump’s acquittal. Only one Republican in the GOP-controlled Senate, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), voted to convict Trump on the accusation that he abused his power.

Democrats are playing offense this year in Senate races after largely finding themselves on defense in 2018, when they were forced to fend off challenges in two dozen seats across the country. 

This year, however, the GOP is defending 23 seats, and Democrats are eyeing a handful as potential pick-up opportunities. Their targets include Republican Sens. Cory Gardner (Colo.), Martha McSally (Ariz.), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Susan Collins (Maine.), among others.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee hasn’t yet unveiled its January fundraising total, but the group ended 2019 with a slight cash advantage over its Democratic counterpart.