superpeet/Getty Images
Democrats in 10 closely watched California congressional races just posted eye-popping fundraising numbers, eclipsing their Republican rivals. Altogether, these Democratic candidates raised $28.3 million in the third quarter of 2018, compared to $8.3 million reported by their Republican opponents, including eight incumbents.
Drew Godinich, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, notes that Democrats outraised Republicans in every California district the DCCC has targeted to flip from red to blue. “It’s a barometer of the grassroots enthusiasm in these districts,” he says.
California’s most-closely watched races
Harley Rouda, the Democrat running against Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, pulled in nearly $3.2 million—more than seven times the amount of his opponent. In the 25th District, Katie Hill raised $3.8 million in three months—more than the Democratic and Republican candidates in that district combined raised during the entire 2016 cycle. “Yes, she outraised [Rep.] Steve Knight, and that’s interesting, but this is…a lot,” Godinich says. Even in the Republican-dominated 50th District outside San Diego, Ammar Campa-Najjar pulled in $1.4 million, while embattled Rep. Duncan Hunter reported just $132,000.
Raising all that money is no guarantee of a win, of course. Candidates like Campa-Najjar and Andrew Janz, the 34-year-old Fresno prosecutor hoping to unseat Republican Rep. Devin Nunes in the Central Valley, are running in districts with hefty Republican voter advantages. But their balance sheets suggest they’ll be able to keep up the pressure on their opponents until Election Day.
