September 4, 2024
Harris-Walz Campaign Announces $25M Down-Ballot Spending To Support House And Senate Candidates
This is legendary levels!
The Harris-Walz campaign and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) announced they are committing to sending close to $25 million in support of House and Senate candidates, labeled as down-ballot Democrats, Politico reports.
The historic donation, announced on Sept. 3, is listed as more money than Democratic leaders have sent in past election years. In 2020, the DNC sent $5 million to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and $1 million to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. In 2024, $10 million each will go to committees supporting Democratic candidates for both roles, as well as $2.5 million to a Democratic group on the national scale that supports state legislative candidates. Each group will also receive $1 million to support Democratic gubernatorial and attorney general candidates.
Harris’ campaign labels the funding as a reflection of how the Vice President is able to spread the wealth around, given her groundbreaking fundraising in the last six weeks. Earlier money gives the committees more range to spend, such as hiring staff, taping ads, or printing mailers take time. According to the Washington Post, the campaign raised $540 million, resulting in more than 2,000 staff and 312 offices, including battleground states, in partnership with the DNC.
It also highlights just how important the 2024 down-ballot races are, overlapping with how either Harris or former President Donald Trump will be able to govern following the inauguration. In a statement, Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon says the Vice President is committed to mobilizing the country – on all levels. “If we want a future where every American’s rights are protected, not taken away; where the middle class is strengthened, not hollowed out; and a country where our democracy is preserved, not ripped apart, every race this November matters,” O’Malley Dillon said.
“The Vice President believes that this race is about mobilizing the entire country, in races at every level, to fight for our freedoms and our economic opportunity.”
In a statement, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), said the funds will “help Senate Democrats reach more voters, increase the strength of our campaigns, and ensure Democrats protect our Senate majority.”
Democrats, who control the Senate 51 to 49, are looking for a high turnout from voters in blue states in hopes of taking over the House. Dems have eight fewer seats than the GOP. The Senate may be more of a challenge as Republicans are seemingly locked in to win a Democratic-held seat in West Virginia and a number of Democratic incumbents in states including Ohio and Montana.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said that the strategy is somewhat similar to the one used for President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign – relying on strong partnerships on Capitol Hill. “Like President Joe Biden before, when Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz enter the Oval Office, they’ll rely on strong partners from the Hill to state legislatures to move America forward,” Harrison said.
“We must win at all levels of government, up and down the ballot, to safeguard our freedoms and continue our economic progress — be it in red, blue, or purple America.”
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