It’s been one month since the primary elections and the Republican National Committee (RNC) is heading into the throes of summer with a monumental monetary advantage over their Democratic counterparts, and an immense voter contact program that is set to contact hundreds of millions of potential voters ahead of the November midterms. The RNC says it has already contacted 20 million voters either by phone or through door knocking, and is set to surpass the number of contacted voters set in the 2016 presidential election.
According to a report from NBC News, this is just a small part of the 487 million contacts the RNC claims it has made throughout this election cycle. This includes: 250 million emails opened, 183 million data-gathering calls, 19 million digital surveys and petitions, 9.6 million pieces of direct mail, and 5.6 million GOTV calls made. These are extraordinary numbers for a non-presidential election year, even as political enthusiasm is increasing.
“Enthusiasm is up and Americans want to see this great comeback continue,” said RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel. “We see that reflected in our record fundraising and in our surge of new volunteers who have already helped us connect with millions of voters.”
Republicans nationwide are battling against a historical trend of an animus towards the President’s party during midterm elections. Nevertheless, the Republican Party is going into the fight with a war chest of $47.4 million cash-on-hand, five and a half times more than the $8.7 million the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has banked.
“We are not leaving a single vote unturned and we are ready to defy history this November,” said McDaniel.
The clear financial advantage has helped the RNC place over 500 staffers in at least 27 states, including all “battleground districts.” The party has also trained more then 15,000 “fellows” to engage in door knocking and other forms of voter contact.
As the RNC is set to ensure a Republican majority in the House and Senate in the fall, it will also be laying the groundwork for President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign for 2020.
Democrats have erased just about all their own +13 election advantage from about one year ago, meaning Republicans have a chance to gain further ground in Congress. With the Senate elections, 10 Democratic senators are running in states Trump carried in 2016, compared to just one Republican that won an election in a blue state.
