House Republicans in toss-up races grapple with campaign debt ahead of 2024 cycle

Several Republican candidates who hold toss-up districts in the upcoming 2024 cycle are dealing with fundraising deficits, creating a disadvantage as they attempt to maintain the House majority. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report revealed that of the nine House seats in Republican hands that are considered to be competitive, six lawmakers reported comparatively low cash on hand, staggeringly high fundraising debts, and won their midterm races with less than 2% of the vote.

Among the most vulnerable is Congressman John Duarte (R-CA), who won his race by an extremely close 0.42 point during the last cycle. Although Duarte exhibited strong fundraising during his 2022 campaign, he ended up with $119,260 of debt, according to Federal Election Commission campaign finance records. Similarly, Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), who barely held onto his seat with an 0.88-point win, had $205,171 of debts – making him experience a deficit even though he had $2,017,220 in funding in the midterm cycle.

The two New York Republicans who flipped blue seats with narrow wins in the last midterm cycle, representative Brandon Williams and representative Marc Molinaro, also face fundraising debt issues. Although Molinaro was relatively better off with just $59,288, Williams had $105,129 in debt as of Jan. 1 of this year.

Meanwhile, Representative George Santos (R-NY) owes $755,000 in loans and committee payments, making him the GOP contender with the most debt. After fabricating several details of his education and work background while on the campaign trail, he now faces many scandals as his seat has been rated as “lean Democrat.”

Although some Democrats are encountering similar issues as they prepare for tough re-election challenges, they have better funding numbers thanks to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee far outraising the National Republican Congressional Committee.

There are 42 seats that are considered competitive among the 435 seats up for grab in the 2024 election, which determines whether Republicans can maintain the slim majority in the lower chamber, but most of them are held by Democrats. However, Republicans still hold 18 vulnerable seats in districts that President Joe Biden took in 2020—compared to only five Democratic seats in districts won by former President Donald Trump. This scenario ensures there are enough GOP-held seats up for grabs to maintain competition before the next election cycle.

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