The midterms might still be about nine months out, but the Republican party is already gearing up for what will be a brutal fight. For starters, the party that historically holds the majority in the midterms typically has a tough time maintaining it. Rarely, if ever, has a party made any gains on their majority. But in the current state of American politics, Republicans have lofty dreams to change that history, and they might have the financial backing to accomplish it.
President Trump's political war chest has grown substantially in the last year. He has raised about $26 million through his joint fundraising committee, and with the help of another over $300 million from a Super PAC linked to him, he is sitting on approximately $375 million. That money could be critical to helping the GOP maintain their majority or potentially expand upon it.
Former Trump campaign staffer Mike Hahn says this is critical, especially considering the struggles the Democrats have endured recently.
"The Democrat National Committee (DNC) has about $14 million on hand, but are close to about $17 million in debt, I believe...so the Democrats are in a lot of trouble in the money game," he says.
It is not just about blindly throwing around wads of cash, though. Trump loves doing that but throwing cash at elections in which he is not on the ballot will not fully move the needle.
Many Conservatives have hitched their wagon to Trump's ideology of America First. Trump, even when not on the ballot, helps bring out the GOP vote.
"He is going to be able to attend rallies across the country, pay for advertisements for different candidates he supports around the country...and even negative advertisements for candidates he does not support," says Hahn.
The amount President Trump has in that war chest, though, is one no President has ever truly had. He continues vastly out fundraising Democrats by wide margins, and it has not just been him. The Republican National Committee (RNC) has $95 million. The National Republican Congressional Committee has around $19 million in the bank, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee holds about $51 million.
Again, just throwing money at something does not solve a problem. But the money Trump has, combined with the influence he holds over GOP voters, it could be enough to sway a number of races.
"He has a war chest much larger than any of the established Democrat committees right now," Hahn says. The President alone is going to be a 'king maker,' for lack of a better term, in a lot of different elections...with the amount of money he has, and the number of resources on which he can spend it."
Whether or not the massive stockpile of cash will matter in November remains to be seen, of course. But if it is used correctly and in the right races, President Trump could help establish a GOP majority for the next number of years.
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