by Matthew Hay Brown
The National Republican Congressional Committee, which has lagged far behind its Democratic counterpart in fundraising this election cycle, went some distance toward closing that gap tonight – with a little help from President Bush.
With Bush headlining the dinner going on right now at the Washington Hilton Hotel, the GOP’s House campaign operation is reporting receipts of more than $8.6 million. The one-night haul exceeds the $6.4 million total cash on hand the party committee reported at the end of January.
“The Democrats have piled up an abysmal record of broken promises, higher taxes and a liberal agenda that is out-of-step with the majority of Americans,” said Rep. Tom Cole, the Oklahoma Republican who chairs the NRCC. “With the funds raised tonight, we will be able to move forward in our efforts to rebuild a Republican majority.”
The NRCC still has a fair distance to go to catch up to Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which reported $35.5 million cash on hand at the end of January.
The fundraising difference showed up in Illinois over the weekend, where the Democrats’ ability to match the Republicans dollar for dollar in the 14th Congressional District race helped them wrest former House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s seat from the GOP.