RNC edges out DNC in 2021 fundraising

The Republican National Committee (RNC) pulled in $158.6 million last year, narrowly edging out the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) 2021 fundraising haul.

The DNC and its joint fundraising arm announced earlier on Monday that they had raised $10.7 million in December, bringing the committee’s annual total to more than $157 million. 

The RNC, by comparison, pulled in $11.3 million in December alone, putting it slightly ahead of its Democratic counterpart for the year, Fox News reported. A spokesperson for the RNC did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the latest fundraising numbers.

The DNC still ended 2021 with more money in the bank — $65 million to the RNC’s $56.3 million. Still, the pace of fundraising is welcome news for Republicans, who are hoping to recapture control of the House and Senate in this year’s midterm elections. 

Democrats are defending razor-thin majorities in both chambers of Congress in 2022; Republicans need to flip just five seats in the House and only one in the Senate to recapture control of Congress. 

Republicans are also facing a more favorable political environment this year. Historically, the party in power tends to lose ground in Congress in midterm elections. At the same time, President Biden’s approval rating has plummeted over the past several months, putting his party in a potentially perilous position.