House Democrats in tight races play catch-up after expensive midterm campaigns

Ahead of the 2024 election cycle, vulnerable House Democrats who faced tight races during the 2022 midterm elections are struggling to catch up with the expenses they incurred during the election cycle. Republicans have listed vulnerable Democrats who won their midterms by less than 5 percentage points in 2022, and at least six Democrats in tossup districts have reported less than $54,000 cash on hand as of Jan. 1, potentially disadvantaging them in the upcoming cycle.

The GOP strategists are focused on maintaining their slim majority in the House and targeting vulnerable Democrats in tossup districts for the upcoming 2024 elections.

The high expenses of the past election cycle have left some incumbents with little cash on hand, making it difficult for them to fundraise for their next run. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM), who had only a 0.6 percentage point margin of victory in 2022, started the 2024 campaign cycle with just $22,776 in cash on hand. Meanwhile, North Carolina Democrats Reps. Don Davis and Wiley Nickel, both running in tossup districts, have been identified as vulnerable in the next election cycle.

Republicans are also targeting Reps. Matt Cartwright (D) and Susan Wild (D) from Pennsylvania in tossup races in 2024. The Democrats have raised large sums of campaign cash, with $52,620 and $53,961 cash on hand, respectively, as of Jan. 1.

Although Republicans argue that it is harder for incumbents to fundraise when running in the minority party, Democrats push back, saying that it is not unusual for candidates in competitive races to have lower cash on hand.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee far outraised the National Republican Congressional Committee in the first two months of 2023, indicating a strong fund-raising ability on the Democrats’ part.

In the upcoming 2024 election cycle, all 435 seats are up for grabs. Of these, 42 are considered competitive, with most currently held by Democrats, giving the GOP a slight advantage as they prepare for the next election cycle.

However, of the 42 competitive seats, 18 are held by Republicans in districts that voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, compared to just five Democrats who must defend their seats in districts carried by former President Donald Trump. This situation creates a balanced playing field for both parties as they head into the 2024 election cycle.