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The Dems Fail to Get the Bag

The party seemed to have renewed pep in its step. Then the Q1 fundraising numbers came in… Donors are still exhausted, exasperated, pissed over Biden, and worse. But the Q2 prospects look better.

Hakeem Jeffries, Mike Johnson
Yes, Hakeem Jeffries ($3.7 million raised) outpaced Mike Johnson ($3.2 million) this quarter. But it was otherwise a clean sweep for the Republicans... Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Abby Livingston
April 21, 2025

In the weeks since Donald Trump’s tariff blitz shocked the markets, the Democrats seemed to regain some momentum. The president’s polling took a hit, Cory Booker uncorked his record-breaking, 25-hour, non-filibuster filibuster, and the party was still basking in its victory in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, where a Democrat-backed candidate overcame $20 million in campaign spending by Elon Musk, buoying hopes of retaking the House in the midterms. But then the first-quarter campaign fundraising numbers started to circulate, and what they showed for the opposition party was… grim. For the first time in recent memory, House Republican incumbents were outraising House Democrats. By a lot.