Democrats in charge of battling a MAGA agenda in state legislatures notched their two best online fundraising days ever amid Kamala Harris’ historic ascendancy, The Daily Beast has learned.
The group warns, however, that Democrats can’t expect to keep riding the vice president’s coattails beyond the early frenzy of her transition to presidential nominee to replace President Joe Biden, who announced on Sunday he would end his campaign for a second term.
Instead, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is laser-focused on a new $2.2 million investment in state legislatures in battlegrounds like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin where the election could be decided.
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“It’s too soon to say what the impact at the top of the ticket will be for state legislative candidates,” DLCC Vice President of Development Anastasia Apa told The Daily Beast. “But we do know that we're in a unique political environment where Democrats in state legislatures have over-performed since the start of the Biden presidency, and we are staying focused on the need to resource this ballot level.”
The committee would not specify exactly how much it raked in, but said its record-breaking fundraising on July 21 and 22 coincided with the Harris operation’s haul. The campaign arms of the Democratic Party devoted to House and Senate races also announced their best online fundraising days over the same 48-hour span.
“When you think about the record days that we experienced online amongst our grassroots funders, it still pales in comparison to what we're seeing in other sister committees,” Apa said, suggesting that earth-shattering fundraising isn’t enough to stop the types of right-wing initiatives planned by Trump allies.
A week ago, nervous Democrats envisioned an election in which former President Donald Trump would wallop President Joe Biden and had resigned themselves, instead, to focusing on House, Senate and state legislative races. The party is now infused with enthusiasm and a newfound will to win. Officials at the down-ballot campaign committee are also excited, but they want donors to remember: They’re the ones on the front lines fighting the MAGA agenda.
“Even if Trump is defeated at the top of the ticket, we know that Republicans are galvanizing to push Project 2025 through the states, so the threat of that doesn’t disappear if Trump is defeated,” DLCC Interim Communications Director Sam Paisley told the Daily Beast.
The importance of state legislatures is apparent in states like Michigan, where the DLCC is now directing $1.1 million to the state House. In 2022, Democrats secured a slim majority in both chambers of the Michigan state legislature, allowing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to sign legislation expanding abortion access.
Another half-million will go to the Pennsylvania state House, followed by six-figure investments in both chambers of the New Hampshire legislature. The committee is also pouring five-figure sums into North Carolina, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The new investment is just the beginning of a planned $10 million campaign that could also fund races in Arizona, Georgia and Kansas, depending on how much money the committee raises.
A little money can go a long way in state legislative races, especially so early on.
“Today’s $2.2 million announcement builds on the DLCC’s promise and strategy to invest earlier than ever before to shore up Democratic majorities and build a state legislative firewall in battleground states,” DLCC President Heather Williams wrote in a statement. “Even as the race for the White House resets, our statehouses will shape the most important rights of our time.”
