Last month former Democratic National Committee Chairwomen Donna Brazile released her tell all book revealing how the DNC was in dire financial straits after the Obama administration left it horribly in debt in 2016, and as of October it appears their financial situation is not getting better anytime soon.
The DNC recorded its worst October fundraising totals since 2002, raising only $3.9 million dollars for the entire month. To put this number in perspective, below are the previous fundraising totals for the DNC all the way back to 2003.
Wow. The DNC just posted its worst October of fundraising in at least 15 years….
’17: $3.9M
’16: $24.8M
’15: $4.5M
’14: $6.2M
’13: $7.3M
’12: $13.8M
’11: $8.0M
’10: $11.1M
’09: $11.6M
’08: $14.5M
’07: $5.6M
’06: $10.2M
’05: $5.2M
’04: $33.9M
’03: $4.7Mhttps://t.co/7dcYgSsrUm— Michael Ahrens (@michael_ahrens) November 21, 2017
As you can see, even in non-election years the DNC typically raises millions more than the paltry $3.9 million they took in last month.
Recall that Donna Brazile admitted the DNC was flat broke in July of 2016, only months before the November election. Not only were they broke, but they were $2 million in debt.
In revelations from her upcoming book that are roiling an increasingly divided Democratic Party, Ms. Brazile said she was shocked at the sorry condition of the DNC’s finances when she took over in July 2016 for embattled Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who she said was “not a good manager.”
Ms. Brazile described a phone call she had with Gary Gensler, the chief financial officer of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, on the morning after the Democratic National Convention ended in late July 2016.
“He told me the Democratic Party was broke and $2 million in debt,” Ms. Brazile wrote. “‘What?’ I screamed. ‘I am an officer of the party and they’ve been telling us everything is fine and they were raising money with no problems.’ That wasn’t true, he said.”
Tisn’t the first time this year the DNC has posted astonishingly low monthly fundraising totals, as back in May they also suffered the lowest numbers since 2003 for that month.
The Democratic National Committee saw another lean month of fundraising while still carrying a load of debt.
The DNC raised a meager $4.29 million in May, the lowest total since 2003. Although the party sees similar drop-offs in fundraising during off-year elections, this latest lull seems to be indicative of a pattern so far in 2017. The group only took in $4.7 million in April and $6.5 million in March.
The DNC also reported being $1.9 million in debt in the month of May.
Republicans, meanwhile, raised $10.9 million in May and show a steady incline in fundraising during off-year elections. The Republican National Committee raised $9.3 million in 2015 and $7.5 million in 2013. The RNC did not have any debt to report in their filing.
In contrast, the Republican National Committee has had a banner fundraising year, eagerly connecting themselves to President Trump when it comes time to convince voters to open their wallets (although they seem much more hesitant when it comes to actually moving Trump’s agenda forward).
Over the first six months of 2017, the Republican National Committee pulled in $75 million—nearly twice as much money as the Democratic National Committee, which raised $38 million. The predicament isn’t simply that there is a funding gap between the parties; it’s what kind of money they attract. Republicans have quietly taken a decisive edge over Democrats when it comes to small-dollar fundraising.
During that same six-month time span, the RNC raised $33 million in small contributions—money from people who donate $200 or less over an election cycle—while that same class of donors gave the DNC just $21 million.
Perhaps Democrat voters, weary after throwing money at elections but continuing to suffer loss after loss, have decided that donating to the DNC is doing little good in electing their chosen candidates. Donna Brazile admitting in her book that the finances of the DNC have been horribly mismanaged for years certainly won’t help convince voters to give up more of their hard-earned money anytime soon, and with the 2018 midterms right around the corner the Democrats may find themselves ill-equipped to compete with their Republican challengers who will likely have an overflowing war chest by then.