RNC, DNC pace each other in Oct. fundraising

The Democratic and Republican National Committees about paced each other in October fundraising, with the DNC bringing in just over $7 million while the RNC raised about $7.1 million last month.

{mosads}Nearly all of the RNC’s October donations came in amounts less than $200, and the average donation for the committee that month was just $54. Such small sums are indicators of strong grassroots support.

The RNC has more than twice as much cash on hand as its Democratic counterpart, with $9.1 million to the DNC’s $4.25 million in the bank.

And while the DNC continues to pay down its debt, it ended the month $16 million in the red while the RNC is debt-free.

Still, it was the second strong month in a row of fundraising for the Democratic committee, which lagged significantly behind its Republican counterpart in fundraising for much of the year.

The two committees were engaged in gubernatorial fights in New Jersey and Virginia through the month of October, and invested resources in both, with Democrats pulling out a win in Virginia while Republican Chris Christie won a second term in New Jersey.