The House Republican fundraising arm last week pulled in $1 million in online donations under new Speaker Mike Johnson, topping all other weekly online funding for the 2024 election cycle.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Jack Pandol told The Washington Times most of the money came in response to emails sent and signed by Mr. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and a relatively unknown backbencher who was thrust into the speaker’s chair after weeks of internal fighting over GOP leadership.
Mr. Pandol said Mr. Johnson’s first week on the job brought the best single day of fundraising since 2022 and the most new donor sign-ups in a single day.
“House Republicans are enjoying a digital cash geyser under Speaker Mike Johnson. The NRCC is racing to capture this enthusiasm and raise the resources to grow our House majority,” Mr. Pandol said.
The million-dollar haul could help tamp down concerns about whether Mr. Johnson can become as adept at raising money for the House GOP as his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted by a group of eight hard-line conservatives last month.
Mr. McCarthy was a prolific fundraiser and candidate recruiter, and many in the party credit him with putting the Republicans in the majority this year, although by only a few votes.
He raised hundreds of millions of dollars for House GOP candidates over the 2022 campaign cycle and an additional $78 million in 2023 before his ouster.
Mr. Johnson will have to move quickly to try to establish a strong fundraising network ahead of the 2024 election.
The new speaker has endorsed the McCarthy-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund, which raises millions for House GOP candidates, and has appointed Billy Constangy, a former top aide to the NRCC chairman, Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, to head his own political team.
A day after Mr. Johnson won the gavel on Oct. 25, fundraising requests under his name hit email inboxes.
“With an election a little more than 12 months away, we’ll work around the clock to grow our House majority and help EVERY Republican incumbent in their reelection campaign,” Mr. Johnson wrote, seeking money and donor information.
He’s slated to host a fundraiser for Rep. Vern Buchanan, Florida Republican, on Nov. 27.
Democrats, meanwhile, plan to raise money off Mr. Johnson, too. The Democratic fundraising arm has labeled the new speaker, who was among the Republicans who tried to block the certification of President Biden’s 2020 victory, MAGA Mike.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is aligning the most vulnerable swing-state Republican House members with Mr. Johnson, whom it calls “an anti-choice election denier” who seeks to ban all abortions and opposes gay marriage.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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