So far, Republicans have the advantage. Eight Republicans in the “Districts in Play” the House Democratic campaign arm is targeting in the midterm elections, including Reps. Andy Barr (R-KY), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), Young Kim (R-CA), Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), brought in more than a million dollars in the first quarter.

Among the seats the National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting, only Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA) posted a fundraising total of more than a million dollars, raking in just over $2 million with over $1.2 million cash on hand.

NRCC “Patriots,” who are the House GOP’s most vulnerable members, raised an average of $993,932, with their cash on hand sitting at just over $1.2 million. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee “Frontliners” raised an average of just over $505,893, with the average cash on hand at $642,389.

Though the comparisons are not exact, given the members will not face each other in the midterm elections, the money raised is considered a boost to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who had big shoes to fill after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), a powerhouse GOP fundraiser, was ousted.

Johnson is on his way to making just as much headway as McCarthy after he raised $32.2 million during the first three months of the year, his largest quarterly fundraising total as speaker and the largest for a Republican speaker during a midterm cycle. Johnson was the second-highest fundraiser in the House for the last election cycle, coming in about $3 million behind House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

Democratic challengers facing vulnerable Republican incumbents fared better than GOP challengers to Democratic candidates. Three Democratic candidates, including Manny Rutinel in Rep. Gabe Evans’s (R-CO) 8th District, Rebecca Cooke in Rep. Derrick Van Orden’s (R-WI) 3rd District, and Esther Kim Varet in Kim’s 40th District, raised over a million dollars in the first quarter. No Republican challengers posted a haul of a million dollars or more in the first three months of the year.

The NRCC raised $36.7 million in the first three months of the year, the committee’s strongest first quarter in an off-year in its history.

The DCCC has not yet released its first quarter total, but it frequently outraises its Republican counterpart.

In a statement, DCCC spokesman Viet Shelton told the Washington Examiner that “House Democrats have the better message, stronger candidates, more resources, and a favorable political environment as we go into 2026.”

Republicans are insistent they are on offense in the 2026 cycle, with only 29 vulnerable seats to defend compared to the 39 competitive seats defended by Democrats. The House historically flips to the party opposite the White House in the midterm elections. Republicans may also find it difficult to maintain their majority as several party members have announced or are eyeing bids to run for governor in their home states or the Senate.

MAYRA FLORES HOSPITALIZED HOURS AFTER LAUNCHING COMEBACK HOUSE BID

Rep. John James (R-MI) is seeking to be Michigan’s next governor, with his open House seat rated as “lean Republican.” He won reelection by 6 percentage points in 2024, but the purple district could flip to Democrats in 2026 — especially since President Donald Trump, whose name drew GOP voters to the ballot box, will not be on the ticket.

With Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) opting not to seek reelection, eyes are on the four House Republicans in Iowa’s delegation to potentially run for governor. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) and Miller-Meeks represent extremely competitive districts, so a vacancy from either one would put the GOP in a bind.