Our most recent book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics. Among other things, it discusses party organizations and campaign finance.
In a sign of just how flush her campaign is as she enters the final turn signaled by Labor Day, Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic National Committee on Tuesday pledged $25 million toward House, Senate and state-level races. That commitment is a major investment aimed at making it easier for Harris to govern if she’s elected president.
The $25 million being doled out includes $10 million each to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which are focused on winning back the House and keeping the Senate. Another $2.5 million will go to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which helps in state legislature races, and $1 million each to the Democratic Governors Association and the Democratic Attorneys General Association.
With former President Donald Trump atop the Republican ticket, the GOP is in the opposite position financially. If the Harris campaign is a source of cash for other Democratic candidates, then the Trump campaign is a sponge, continuing to suck up precious resources other Republican candidates need ahead of a tight election. The cash disparity could not only determine the trajectory of the presidential race, but it might also help determine the direction of the country for the next two years.
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has found a new way to press for badly needed cash.
In a letter received by Republican digital vendors this week, the Trump campaign is asking for down-ballot candidates who use his name, image and likeness in fundraising appeals to give at least 5 percent of the proceeds to the campaign.
“Beginning tomorrow, we ask that all candidates and committees who choose to use President Trump’s name, image, and likeness split a minimum of 5% of all fundraising solicitations to Trump National Committee JFC. This includes but is not limited to sending to the house file, prospecting vendors, and advertising,” Trump co-campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita wrote in the letter, which is dated April 15.
