Senate Republicans’ campaign committee raised more than $8.3 million in March, bringing the committee’s total fundraising in the first quarter of this year to more than $23 million as they try to win back the majority.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, led by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), ended March with more than $12 million in the bank, according to details shared first with POLITICO, and will report having paid off all of the committee’s debt last month. The full report is due to the Federal Election Commission on April 20.
Democrats currently hold a 50-50 majority in the Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking ties. The NRSC exceeded its first-quarter hauls from the past two cycles. Their cash on hand is roughly equivalent to the same point in 2017 and 2019, though the NRSC had significant debt in those two years. Scott said in a statement it was the fastest a Senate committee has paid off debt in recent years.
There had been some concerns about Republicans’ fundraising this year after the losses in the two Georgia runoffs and Scott’s vote, along with other senators, against certifying Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has not yet released its March fundraising totals. The DSCC raised nearly $13.4 million in January and February combined, and ended February with more than $10.2 million in cash on hand.
Both committees’ fundraising for the first quarter of this year includes some money raised in early January for the two Georgia runoffs, which Democrats won to secure their current majority.
Alongside their digital fundraising efforts, Scott announced three new finance leaders would head a national operation of bundlers to aid the committee’s fundraising, which will include more than 40 bundlers nationwide. The effort will be led by former Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks, who is national finance chair. Hicks’ son, Tommy Hicks, is co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Ronald Gidwitz, a Trump-era ambassador and one-time Illinois gubernatorial candidate, will be national finance co-chair, and Darlene Jordan, a longtime donor who held similar roles for Scott’s elections, will be the Florida finance chair.
“We’re combining a robust digital fundraising operation with a national network of bundlers who are committed to helping us raise money and win back the Senate,” Scott said in a statement. “I’m honored to have my friends Tom Hicks, Ambassador Gidwitz and Darlene Jordan leading this effort to bring common-sense back to Washington and kick Chuck Schumer out of his office.”