The Democratic National Committee (DNC) may be in trouble, according to its latest Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing showing it raised only $4.3 million in August and is $4.1 million in debt. The Republican National Committee (RNC) did much better, raising a whopping $7.3 million in August with no debt. The DNC has raised less than half of what the RNC has raised so far this year.
RNC Finance Chairman Steve Wynn commented that the RNC’s August fundraising haul was an "unprecedented amount of support in a nonpresidential year," saying Americans want "even more of the economic and political leadership offered by our party and the Trump administration."
The DNC's $4.35 million fundraising figure is their second worst August fundraising figure in the past 11 years, coming only slightly ahead of the $4.3 million that the DNC raised in August of 2013.
As Democrats look to the future and the 24 seats the need to retake the House as well as the three states needed for control of the Senate, some in the party are calling for more unity and attempts to appeal to alienated blue collar workers.
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) told Time that he is frustrated with the party’s fixation on divisive issues and "demonization" of business owners.
Time contrasted more moderate voices like Ryan’s with the increased prominence of progressives like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the party which led to the Democrats most progressive platform in their history, including “free college for families earning $125,000 or less and Medicare options for Americans as young as 55.”
"We're going to have a fight," Ryan said. "There's no question about it.”
Time noted that in the meantime the Democrats are in the red and “Republicans are outraising it by a margin of roughly 2 to 1.”
DNC Chair Tom Perez defended the party’s poor fundraising numbers back in April telling MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson, "well again, I got there on March 1. And so, I was the first to say, 'We have a lot of rebuilding to do.'"
When asked again about the poor fundraising numbers in August, Perez didn’t reply directly but instead attacked the Republican donor base, claiming they just want to repeal Obamacare so they can get a big tax cut.
Former president Barack Obama will give fundraising appearances for the DNC once again as the party tries to improve these numbers.