Raleigh – Ahead of the deadline for the second quarter 2018 fundraising reports, a look back at the first quarter results shows that Democratic challengers are already outraising, outworking, and outhustling Republican incumbents.
Across the state, Democratic challengers outraised 30% of GOP incumbents and open-seat challengers (34 out of 116 total seats held by GOP incumbents or open) in Q1 2018; of that total, one fourth (22 out of 91) of Republican incumbents were outraised by their Democratic challenger.
The totals are a clear sign that Democrats are building robust, grassroots-driven campaigns and that Republican incumbents are unprepared for the political headwinds facing them this election. On top of that, Democrats are running strong campaigns in every district this year, meaning complacent incumbents who relied on their caucus to cover their campaigns in the past will find less support as Republican leaders face the largest battlefield since 2010.
“From the mountains to the suburbs to the coast, Democratic candidates are out-working and out-organizing vulnerable Republican incumbents across the largest battlefield in nearly a decade,” said NCDP Executive Director Kimberly Reynolds. “Whether they want to recognize it or not, Republicans are facing a bruising campaign season and a shocking number are either complacent or ill-prepared. Democrats, on the other hand, are seeing a surge of energy and grassroots donations, ensuring they will have the resources to tell their stories and hold Republicans accountable for rigging the system for their campaign donors at the expense of our middle class.”
Here are the Democrats who outraised their Republican opponents [* denotes the race is an open seat]:
- SD 38*: Mujtaba Mohammed ($82,866 Q1) > Richard Rivette ($257 Q1)
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