The joint fundraising committee made up of the RNC and several Trump-centered entities announced a total of $65.6 million raised during March. That comes after the resignation of Ronna McDaniel as chairwoman of the Republican Party apparatus.
READ: Ronna McDaniel Officially Resigns From the RNC
The Republican National Committee announces $65.6M raised by the RNC and the assortment of Trump campaign committees in March and a combined $93.1M on hand among them.
Quarterly reports for the joint cmtes are due on 4/15, everything else on 4/20.https://t.co/rKP35nxB1f pic.twitter.com/tkbEUJqhMx
— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) April 3, 2024
Under McDaniel, fundraising had slowed to a trickle, a problem fueled by distrust in the organization following several exclusive reports from RedState detailing how money was being wasted and misappropriated.
SEE: Update on RNC Finances Shows McDaniel Is Still Spending Millions on Limos, Flowers, Consultants
Republican donors, both small and large, saw an RNC under McDaniel that was prioritizing Beltway perks over winning elections, and the results from 2018 to 2022 provided no evidence to counter that judgment. Since then, new leadership has taken over in the form of Chairman Michael Whatley. The direct connection of having Lara Trump as co-chair is also likely playing a role as well.
With that said, a money gap still exists between the DNC and RNC with their joint fundraising committees. This latest haul for Republicans brings cash on hand to over $90 million while the Democrats had that much at the end of February. Biden and his party are expected to announce a massive haul in March, headlined by a $25 million star-studded “grassroots” fundraiser that started at $100,000 a plate.
SEE: The Optics Go From Bad to Worse at Wax Statue Biden’s ‘Grassroots’ Fundraiser
Still, Democrats should be worried by a Republican number that represents a significant step towards leveling the playing field. Will it continue? That’s unknown, but if the GOP is going to be competitive, it must continue. Democrats are going to bombard the airwaves, and while there is a saturation point with diminishing returns, Republicans need to reach it to not get swamped.
In the end, despite all the caterwauling about “big donors,” the GOP needs those with deep pockets to start writing big checks again. The Democrat war chest wasn’t built with small-dollar donations because there simply aren’t enough of them to raise the necessary amount of cash. It seems like Republicans are heading in the right direction, though.
