Democrats boost national fundraising for state legislatures
After nearly a decade of virtually ceding state legislative races to Republicans, the Democratic Party organization dedicated to winning those seats and other allied groups nationally are ramping up fundraising in a bid to win control of state chambers ahead of census-driven redistricting.
But funding disadvantages in individual races show the headwinds that persist.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the arm of the national party focused on state legislative races, is aiming to spend $50 million this cycle as it attempts to break Republican control of chambers that will oversee redistricting next year. The number represents a drastic increase from the last redistricting cycle in 2010 when the group spent just $10 million, compared with $30 million spent by their GOP counterpart, the Republican State Leadership Committee.
DLCC spending remained low throughout the first part of the last decade but grew from more than $17 million in the 2016 cycle to $36 million in 2018.
After years of being outspent by its GOP counterpart, the DLCC first surpassed the RSLC in fundraising in the first half of 2019. The RSLC rebounded with a stronger second half, while the DLCC holds an edge for the first two months of 2020. Both groups have raised nearly identical amounts, $21.3 million each, since the start of last year.
https://www.rollcall.com/2020/03/11/democrats-boost-national-fundraising-for-state-legislatures/
