This is a first for President Biden. The president will attend a modest, high-dollar fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee (DNC). This is his first in-person fundraising event since he assumed control of the White House in April amid the coronavirus pandemic.
This event took place in Washington as the president seems to be increasing his fundraising efforts for DNC in advance of November’s midterm election, when Democrats will be fighting for their razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives, and the Senate.
The Republican National Committee (RNC), which has been holding in-person fundraisers for several months, has been holding virtual finance events. This is due to pandemic restrictions. Major Democratic donors have expressed a desire to meet the president in person, as the rate of new COVID cases is rapidly declining.
The RNC has less than eight months until the midterms and enjoys a slight fundraising advantage.
Fox News reported that the RNC raised an off-election year record $158.6million in 2021. This slightly outpaced the DNC. The RNC raised $13 million more than its Democratic counterpart, and $10.2 million more than the DNC in January fundraising.
“Despite Democrats controlling the White House and Senate, the House and House, the Republican National Committee continues out raise and run laps about the Biden-controlled DNC,” Emma Vaughn, spokesperson for the RNC, stated in a Fox News statement.
“The Republican Party will continue holding Democrats responsible for rising prices, open borders, and soft on crime.” Vaughn forecasted that Republicans will win in 2022 because of their winning message and unmatched ground game infrastructure.
The DNC has a cash advantage with more than $11 million in its coffers, compared to the RNC at the end of January.
The national party fundraising is a crucial barometer of donor enthusiasm and voter enthusiasm before the midterms. The money can be used, among other things, for party staffing at key battlegrounds and grassroots, as well as campaign ads and transferred to the party House or Senate reelection commissions.
To regain the majority in the 100 member Senate that they lost in the Georgia twin runoff elections of Jan. 2021, the GOP must gain just one seat. To win back the majority of the Democrats’ 2018 midterms, Republicans must gain five seats in the 435 member House of Representatives.
The Democrats face a challenging political climate this year as well as historical headwinds. The party that wins the White House has a history of suffering setbacks in the subsequent midterms.
Biden addressed the DNC’s Winter Meeting last Thursday and stated that “coming out of the State of the Union we are in the most secure position we’ve ever been in months.”
The president also stressed that Democrats have a record, a record to be proud about; an agenda that addresses America’s biggest concerns and peoples’ lives; the message that resonates.
However, the president’s approval ratings, another important barometer, remain below average despite a slight increase in recent weeks. The generic ballot is another important polling question that gauges support for congressional candidates. Republicans hold a slight advantage over Democrats.
