PHILIP ELLIOTT
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic donors online gave their party’s House campaign arm almost $5 million in the week that ended Friday, a record for the group attempting the uphill task of ousting Republicans from their majority.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee unleashed a torrent of emails, Facebook posts and tweets this week pushing messages that House Republicans planned to impeach President Barack Obama. The result was $4.8 million in online giving, DCCC chief Steve Israel announced Friday.
“Dems are fired up,” Israel tweeted in announcing the figure.
Republican leaders, including House Speaker John Boehner, insist there are no plans to pursue impeachment and has called the Democrats’ fundraising a “scam.”
Regardless, the Obama-is-in-trouble message is an effective motivator for Democratic donors, who recognize the House is likely to remain in Republican hands even after November’s elections. Re-drawn congressional districts favor the GOP and both parties are contesting only a handful of seats.
Even so, some 240,000 donors went online to donate to House Democrats; the average donation was $20.
The resulting $4.8 million weekly haul is more than the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised in two months of this election cycle, which began in January 2013. On average, the committee raises about $6.9 million in a typical month, although officials reported raising almost $11 million in June.
Donors have helped Democrats’ campaign panel out-raise the Republican rival in 16 of the last 18 months. Through June 30, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had raised almost $125 million. The National Republican Congressional Committee, meanwhile, has raised almost $96 million.
Both parties’ campaign committees have to disclose their July fundraising by Aug. 20.
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