Senate GOP re-election shatters another fundraising record as midterms near

EXCLUSIVE: The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) brought in an eye-popping $13 million in fundraising last month as the Senate GOP's re-election arm builds a formidable war chest as part of its mission to regain the chamber's majority in November's midterm elections.

And the NRSC’s January total, which was shared first with Fox News on Tuesday, was boosted to $18 million, thanks to a $5 million transfer of funds from the Republican National Committee (RNC). 

But even without the RNC’s cash infusion, the NRSC highlights that its fundraising haul last month was the highest January total ever for either itself or its counterpart, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). And the January total far surpassed the Senate GOP re-election arm’s previous monthly record during any January-March first quarter of fundraising, which was $11.2 million in February 2020.

SENATE GOP REELECTION ARM HAULS IN A RECORD $104 MILLION LAST YEAR

And further showcasing its momentum, committee also spotlighted that it had $39.1 million cash on hand at the end of January, which it noted was the highest among either the NRSC or DSCC had in their campaign coffers at the end of January in an election year.

"The NRSC kicks off the election year just how we ended last year – by setting astronomical fundraising records," NRSC chairman Sen. Rick Scott of Florida emphasized in a statement. "Thanks to fired up folks across the nation, the NRSC will have the resources to win this November. 2022 is the GOP’s year, so let’s get to work."

The NRSC also announced that it received 254,668 donations in January, with nearly all those contributions under $200, which is a sign of the committee’s grassroots appeal. The NRSC said that there were 23,264 first-time donors in January. 

The January haul follows a record $104.8 million raised by the NRSC last year, a record for an off-election year. The DSCC has yet to announce its January fundraising figures, but the Senate Democrats' re-election arm brought in $91.2 million in 2021, with $23.7 million cash on hand at the end of December.

2022 MIDTERMS: WILL A RED WAVE OVERCOME A BLUE WALL?

The Senate is split 50-50 between the two major parties, but the Democrats have the majority thanks to the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris through her constitutional role as president of the Senate. That means the GOP needs a net gain of just one seat to regain the majority it lost when it was narrowly swept in the Jan. 5, 2021, twin runoff elections in Georgia.

The GOP is defending 20 of the 34 seats up for grabs in November. That includes five open seats, with Republican retirements in the key battlegrounds of Pennsylvania and North Carolina and the competitive state of Ohio, as well as in Missouri and Alabama.

But Republicans see strong opportunities to flip blue seats to red in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and potentially New Hampshire, where first-term Democratic senators are running for re-election in swing states. 

Democrats face historical headwinds in the 2022 elections, as the party that controls the White House traditionally suffers setbacks in the ensuing midterms. To make matters worse, Democrats across the country will have a deal with an unfavorable political environment that is compounded by President Biden’s underwater approval ratings.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

"After a full year of Democrat control of Washington, American voters are saying that they have had enough. Voters are tired of the Democrats’ countless failures and know they can trust Republicans to get the country back on track," Scott argued.