Party committees spending $3M each day on House

PHILIP ELLIOTT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The political parties’ House campaign arms spent almost $51 million in the first two weeks of October — or an average of almost $3.4 million every day — according to campaign finance summaries released Thursday.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee both faced a deadline to disclose how much each raised and spent between Oct. 1 and Oct. 15. The 15-day reports were likely the last look at the committees’ financial strength heading into the final stretch of a campaign that’s expected to pass the $4 billion mark overall.

The DCCC said it raised $8.8 million in early October and has $16 million on hand for the final three weeks before Election Day. The committee began October with $34 million in the bank but has been spending aggressively, leaving it with $16 million for the final three weeks before Election Day.

The NRCC said it raised $5.9 million and has $15.1 million banked. It began October with $33.1 million and spent $23.9 million.

Combined, the two committees have now raised $303 million and have spent almost $272 million.

Democrats have consistently outraised the GOP. Since January 2013, House Republicans’ campaign committee has been raising about 75 cents for every $1 the Democrats have.

Despite a fundraising advantage, Democrats face tough odds for denying Republicans their majority. Only a handful of races are seen as competitive because once-a-decade redistricting favors Republicans, and President Barack Obama remains deeply unpopular in many House districts.

Republicans hold 233 seats and Democrats have 199 in the current Congress. There are three vacancies. Republicans are trying to reach 245 seats, the widest majority the GOP would enjoy since after the 1946 elections.

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Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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