Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Democrats raked in more than $5 million for the party’s House campaign arm at a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night, even as her party suffered a string of losses just across the Potomac River in Virginia.
The one-night haul was the largest fundraiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which is staring down a challenging map in the 2022 midterm elections. Republicans need to flip just five House seats to recapture control of the lower chamber, a goal that appears well within reach.
The fundraising dinner drew a crowd of lawmakers who contributed to the DCCC. After a direct, dollar-for-dollar match by Pelosi’s own campaign, the total raised for the evening rose to $5.2 million, according to a DCCC spokesperson.
The fundraiser came on a particularly difficult night for Democrats. In Virginia, Republican Glenn Youngkin upset Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the closely watched race for the governor’s mansion, while the GOP appears poised to recapture control of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Meanwhile, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is fighting for his political life in an unexpectedly close race against Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Ciattarelli currently leads by little more than 1,000 votes.
The string of tough races for Democrats hint at what could be a bruising midterm election cycle for the party. In addition to their narrow House majority, Democrats are clinging to a one-seat majority in the Senate, meaning Republicans need to net just a single seat next year to recapture control of the upper chamber.
The losses in Virginia — and the nail-biter of a governor’s race in New Jersey — are seen as early bellwethers for the midterms. President Biden has seen his approval rating plummet deeper and deeper underwater in recent months, while Democrats in Congress have been mired in intra-party fighting and negotiations over key legislative priorities.