Democrats dominating Senate fundraising battle

[DonViejo]

Source: Politico



Nine of the 10 Democrats up for reelection in Trump states raised $1 million. None of their GOP opponents hit that mark.

By KEVIN ROBILLARD and MAGGIE SEVERNS 02/10/2018 06:51 AM EST

Republicans started the election cycle with designs on expanding their Senate majority, but the GOP's candidates are far behind Democrats in fundraising going into 2018.

The numbers are stark: No Republican running for a Democratic-held seat raised more than $1 million from contributors in the fourth quarter of last year, but two Democrats running for seats held by Republicans did. By contrast, of the 10 vulnerable Democrats up for reelection this year in states President Donald Trump carried in 2016, all but West Virginia’s Joe Manchin raised more than $1 million.

Dean Heller (R-Nev.), the only Republican seeking reelection in a state Hillary Clinton won, raised only $821,000 —an amount that was nearly doubled by his likely Democratic challenger.

Republicans think the passage of the new tax law last year can change their fortunes and are confident they’ll have enough money in the bank to contest seats across the map this November, but the fundraising news is grim across the 2018 Senate map. Two of the big Democratic outside groups charged with helping the party win Senate seats, Senate Majority PAC and Majority Forward, even outraised the Mitch McConnell-backed Senate Leadership Forward and One Nation by a narrow margin in 2017.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/10/democrats-senate-fundraising-2018-402087

[groundloop]

1. Good news.... however, these amounts are pocket change for the Kochs

One can only hope that the Kochs, Adelsons, etc. view this election as being too expensive to buy and bow out.

[getagrip_already]

2. True... Republicans don't raise money through small donors anymore..

These totals are small donor dollars. They don't mean a lot to the gop.

The pacs and dark money warriors, and the bots, will be there in force.

[Yavin4]

6. I did a project for a data science class. I looked at NY state donations to Romney vs Obama's

campaigns. Romney got almost as much money from NY state in total than Obama did, but he did it with far fewer donors. Obama had to scramble to keep up with Romney.

People don't realize how much harder Obama had to work to win those elections.

[OnDoutside]

3. Kochs alone are putting in $400m...that's savage money. I'd love to see the likes

of Warren Buffett step up too.

[a kennedy]

5. Have already started seeing kocks venom against Senator Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Was very disappointed in her stance on Senator Franken, it won’t stop me from donating to her campaign even though I live in MN.

[getagrip_already]

8. watch for the bots....

You will likely see a bot driven battle between the anti-#metwoo side and the baldwin supporters, and other candidates who supported thye removal of franken.

It's their MO to find a rift and split it open. Just like with BLM, they will put up feeds and memes supporting both sides to create division.

That is how we lose. "I will NEVER support your candidate because of what his supporters said about me or those like me!".

Watch for it. Don't be suckered in to a fight that doesn't exist.

[greymattermom]

4. So if the stock market is still down,

many of the rich won't have high tax bills in 2018, right? So the tax cut won't help them much, and they won't have a lot of extra cash to give to campaigns.

[getagrip_already]

9. markets won't stay down....

this is just a correction, now a crash. At least not yet. There is really no place for the money to go; it will find its way back.

[Jim Lane]

10. The stock market won't have much effect on tax liabilities.

If you own stock, its market price has no effect on your income tax bill until you sell it. Shareholders who sell now at a price below what they paid for the stock will recognize a loss, which can be applied to offset some other income and thereby reduce the tax owed, but there won't be all that many of them. Furthermore, the market volatility creates opportunities for income for people who trade in options and puts. Some of them will recognize income in 2018, and thereby owe taxes on it, but would not have had taxable income in a calm market.

[vi5]

7. Let's hope those $$$ are used to get out the vote....

....and not for useless consultants and campaign managers with horrible track records

[BigmanPigman]

11. The BIG MONEY is rolling in to the GOP

from the Kochs, Mercers, NRA, Religious Right, foreign enemies, etc. We have to fight it by donating money in small sums to strong candidates and new candidates who are running. The number of new Dems running for office is really impressive. Women, minorities, younger people, etc. will need our help by volunteering too...make calls, knock on doors, drive people to the polls.
https://adoptastate.org/
http://action.emilyslist.org/page/s/contact-emily-s-list
https://swingleft.org/
https://www.womensmarch.com/empower/