Harris Boosts Advertising Efforts with Monetary Edge as Elon Musk Makes Large Donation to House Republican Party, Latest Filings Reveal
National Democratic committees saw a surge in fundraising for their Congressional battle, with the Democratic Party aiming to turn the US House blue collectively raising over twice as much as their Republican counterparts in August. The Republican House campaign committee, however, reported a significant six-figure donation from billionaire Elon Musk last month in an effort to preserve their slim majority in the chamber.
With Democrats riding a wave of donor support, recent reports to the Federal Election Commission showed several key external groups increasing their activity, while a prominent pro-Trump super PAC unleashed a substantial wave of independent expenditures to assist Republicans in closing the gap.
Harris's Upward Trend
Vice President Kamala Harris has successfully erased the financial advantage that Trump temporarily had during the summer, as the former president outperformed President Joe Biden in two of the three final months leading up to Biden's withdrawal in late July. In August, Harris's campaign took in nearly $190 million, more than quadrupling the $44.5 million reported to have been donated to the Trump campaign that month.
The Harris campaign also spent significantly more than the Trump campaign in August, burning through about $174 million. A large portion of this ($135 million) was spent on advertising as they aggressively introduced their newly minted nominee to voters. Approximately $6.4 million went towards payroll expenses and $4.5 million towards text-messaging outreach.
By contrast, Trump's campaign spent only $61 million last month, with a substantial portion ($47 million) allocated to media buys.
Despite the considerable spending, Harris's main campaign account entered September with $235 million in available funds, far surpassing the $135 million remaining in Trump's coffers, according to the latest FEC records.
Reports filed late Friday offer a single glimpse into the financial strength of the candidates.
The Trump and Harris campaigns are connected to various committees that file their disclosure reports on a separate schedule. Harris' broader network reported raising a combined total of $361 million in August, nearly three times the $130 million brought in by Trump's operation.
Harris's fundraising success has significantly contributed to Democrats' advantage in fall advertising bookings, including in crucial battleground states. Additionally, Harris and her allies are overwhelming the former president's presence on social media. Since Harris became the Democratic standard-bearer, Democrats have spent $137 million on digital platforms – more than triple their Republican counterparts' spending, according to a CNN analysis of data compiled by AdImpact.
Party Influence
Friday's campaign reports demonstrated that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) significantly outraised its Republican counterpart, the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC), raising $22.3 million compared to $9.7 million. The DCCC also entered September with more funds on hand – $87.3 million to the NRCC's $70.8 million. These funds could play a significant role in the highly competitive battle for the House, where Republicans are defending a narrow majority.
One notable figure attempting to aid House Republicans in stemming the tide of Democratic contributions is billionaire Elon Musk, who donated $289,100 to the House GOP campaign arm in August, which represents Musk's largest federal donation in this election cycle as he increases his Republican giving.
The tech mogul, listed as the world's richest person, endorsed Trump in July. Additionally, a super PAC that Musk recently connected with increased its involvement in the presidential campaign, spending over $40 million since mid-August, including over $22 million on canvassing initiatives for Trump's support. The Trump campaign, as previously reported by CNN, has mostly delegated its ground game operation to outside organizations.
Committees focused on Senate races raised comparable amounts in August.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee raised $19.1 million, while its Democratic counterpart, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, raised $19.2 million. Both organizations spent more than they received, with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spending $31.6 million, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee spending $26.5 million.
Democrats maintain a narrow control of the Senate, but face an unfavorable environment this year as they defend several seats in states that have previously supported Trump.
External Groups
Harris's fundraising success has put pressure on a network of external groups supporting Trump to help bridge the financial gap.
MAGA Inc., a prominent pro-Trump super PAC, spent over $88 million in August alone on independent expenditures on behalf of the former president's campaign, financing a massive TV advertising blitz, according to its monthly filing. This represents MAGA Inc.'s highest spending in any month this year and roughly twice their spending in July.
The super PAC received a total of $25 million last month from various wealthy benefactors, including $10 million from Wisconsin roofing billionaire Diane Hendricks and $5 million from billionaire financier Paul Singer. The super PAC concluded August with $59.4 million in cash reserves.
On the Democratic side, FF PAC, a prominent pro-Harris super PAC, reported raising nearly $37 million last month, with a significant $30 million coming from Facebook co-founder and billionaire investor, Dustin Moskovitz – easily Moskovitz's largest federal donation for the election cycle. The super PAC spent over $77 million in August, including nearly $62 million on independent expenditures to support the vice president's campaign.
In the politics of fundraising, the Democratic Party's efforts in August have seen external groups increase their activities, with a pro-Trump super PAC launching a substantial wave of independent expenditures to assist Republicans in closing the gap. Despite Elon Musk's significant six-figure donation to the Republican House campaign committee in an attempt to preserve their slim majority, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) significantly outraised its Republican counterpart, the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC), showing a stronger financial position heading into the highly competitive House battle.
