Democrats dominate on campaign cash this year

Open Secrets, the blog for the Center for Responsive Politics, writes that it “expects Democratic candidates to spend more than $2.2 billion by the end of the cycle compared to only $1.4 billion for Republican candidates.”That’s a 57% spending edge and an $800 million gap in favor of Democratic candidates. Republicans have the edge in outside money, but it’s a significantly smaller edge: $2.2 billion to $1.8 billion, according to Open Secrets’s latest numbers. All told, that’s $4 billion for Democrats to $3.6 billion for Republicans, a healthy 10% lead.The biggest difference is in Senate campaigns, where Democratic candidates will outspend Republicans 2-to-1.You wouldn’t know this from the headlines.Here are some New York Times headlines: “Republicans Enter Final Midterm Stretch With a Significant Financial Edge” and “Avalanche of G.O.P. Cash Keeps the Party Competitive Despite Its Problems.”HOW THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT MADE HEALTHCARE UNAFFORDABLEAnd here is Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire: “Three Megadonors Are Powering the GOP Spending Edge.”Yes, if you focus only on outside money or the very biggest donors (mostly Elon Musk), you can paint the familiar picture of Republicans as the party of big money. But Democrats really are the ones rolling in cash this election.