State Democrats Claim Fundraising Record in 2023

Facts

• The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLLC) has announced 'record-breaking' fundraising of over $21M in 2023 as part of its two-year cycle aimed towards 'win[ing] state legislatures and build[ing] state infrastructure across the country.'¹
• The DLCC has a 2023-2024 target budget of $60M — $10M more than the 2022 midterm election cycle and four times more than its 2016 budget. It has claimed increases have occurred in grassroots funding 'despite downwards industry trends.'²
• According to a memo released on Wednesday, the group aims to flip five chambers, including Arizona's House and Senate, New Hampshire's House and Senate, and the Pennsylvania Senate.³
• In addition, the group aims to build Democrats' numbers in red state legislatures, including Georgia's House, Kansas's House and Senate, North Carolina's House and Senate, and Wisconsin's House and Senate.⁴
• The party's first round of investments under this plan includes $82K going towards Michigan, $70K towards Arizona, $50K towards New Hampshire, $30K towards Pennsylvania, $24K towards Wisconsin, and $15K towards North Carolina.⁴
• Meanwhile, the Republican State Leadership Committee's targets for 2024, released last May, include defending both chambers of the legislatures in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, Texas, and defending the Pennsylvania Senate, as well as flipping both chambers in Michigan and Minnesota and the Pennsylvania House.⁵

Sources: ¹Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, ²CNN, ³The Messenger, ⁴The Hill and ⁵RSLC.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by The New York Times. Following contentious legal decisions on issues such as abortion, voting rights, and gun laws, the importance of state legislatures has grown significantly within the public eye ahead of upcoming US elections. While funding for state legislative races is still comparatively minute when compared with federal campaigns, Democrats have recognized that, during this critical time for democracy, there is an urgent need to further engage with voters at federal level.
• Republican narrative, as provided by National Review. Local governance has seen a degradation in competency, predominantly led by Democrats who have ignored grassroots issues while cities and towns fail to fulfill their essential functions. Trust in state-level political systems has severely eroded as partisan moral preaching remains prioritized over sustaining healthy communities. While Democrats receive an abundance of financing from corporatized unions, the real American public continues to suffer under their leadership.

Predictions