Campaign

Group announces nearly $2M in donations to support Dems in swing districts

by John Bowden - 07/11/18 4:03 PM ET

A group aligned with the Democratic Party seeking to help left-leaning candidates in swing districts says it has raised nearly $2 million so far this year to help flip the House.

Swing Left, a newly-formed group founded by Massachusetts-based writer and teacher Ethan Todras-Whitehill, told The Hill in an email that the group has raised $1.87 million for both incumbent Democrats and challengers in swing districts since January.

Todras-Whitehill told The Hill that his group would continue to raise money for Democratic candidates, especially those with late primary elections that divert much of the campaigns’ resources, in an effort to “strategically” use the money raised.

“[A]s we get closer to November, we’ll be continuing to build the largest-ever Swing District volunteer mobilization for a midterm election. It’s really exciting seeing the unprecedented results — including the scale of grassroots fundraising for Congressional candidates so early, twice driven by unprecedented grassroots energy focused on transforming our government and taking back the House,” he said.

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The total grows to just over $4 million when taking into account the group’s full fundraising amounts since it began launching swing district funds in late 2017, according to a spokesman for the group. The average donation to the group is about $25, according to the representative.

Democrats are hoping to retake 23 seats in the House while picking up two seats in the Senate in order to hold majorities in both chambers. They face an uphill battle in the Senate, where several vulnerable Democratic incumbents are up for reelection.

A Washington Post/Schar School poll released earlier this month found Democrats enjoying a 10-point advantage over Republicans on a generic House ballot heading into November’s midterm elections.

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The survey also indicated that Democrats are more excited to vote in November than Republicans. In battleground districts, 59 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independent voters said they think the midterms are extremely important.

Meanwhile, just 46 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said the same.

Updated at 8:34 p.m.

Tags 2022 midterm elections Chuck Schumer Democratic Party House Nancy Pelosi Senate Swing Left