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Republicans are entering the final sprint to the 2026 midterm election trailing Democrats in national and battleground polls and defending much of the most competitive terrain in Congress. But on one critical measure, they hold a clear advantage: cash. The GOP's three national committees entered September with roughly $233.4 million in cash on hand, nearly double the $130.4 million held by their Democratic counterparts, according to a CNBC analysis of newly filed Federal Election Commission reports. And that does not include the biggest Republican-aligned war chest: President Donald Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC, which entered September with nearly $416 million in the bank. Two Trump-linked groups, No Going Back PAC Inc. and Safety & Affordability PAC Inc., have also reserved at least $126 million in advertising, according to AdImpact data. The advantage gives Republicans more flexibility to reinforce vulnerable candidates or target late-breaking races with six weeks until Election Day. Republicans are defending 16 of the 21 House races rated "Toss Ups" by the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, alongside six of the nine core battleground Senate seats. The sharpest disparity is between the national parties. The Republican National Committee ended August with $125.6 million, according to a FEC filing. The Democratic National Committee had $16.9 million, while carrying $17.6 million in debt, according to a FEC filing. The RNC alone had more than seven times as much cash. Party cash also carries more weight this election cycle after the Supreme Court struck down limits in June on how much parties can spend in coordination with their candidates. House Republicans held a smaller but record advantage. The National Republican Congressional Committee had about $89.1 million, roughly $13 million more than the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's $75.9 million, according to FEC filings. The Senate committees are the exception. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee entered September with $37.6 million, compared with $18.7 million for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, according to FEC filings. But the NRSC had already begun spending heavily, disbursing $50.3 million in August, including about $45.9 million in coordinated spending, which helped draw its cash down from $56.2 million at the end of July. Going into the closing weeks, Republicans and their allies have about $888 million in advertising planned through Election Day, compared with roughly $666 million for Democrats and their allies, according to AdImpact.
document fetched 2026-09-23 02:59 · canonical https://cnbc.com/2026/09/22/republicans-democrats-election-fundraising-2026.html