Party Fundraising Escalates
For Immediate Release: Contact: Sharon Snyder
November 3, 2000 Ron Harris
Ian Stirton
Kelly Huff
PARTY FUNDRAISING ESCALATES
WASHINGTON – From January 1, 1999, through October 18, 2000, Republican Party
national committees raised $294.9 million and spent $252 million in funds permissible in
federal elections. They have outraised their Democratic counterparts by more than 70%.
Democratic Party national committees reported $172.7million in receipts and $153.5 million
in disbursements.
These "hard dollar" receipts are a modest 6% higher for Republicans
than in the previous presidential election cycle (1995-96), and 24% higher for Democratic
committees. The Democrats reported a 15% increase in disbursements, while the Republicans
spent 7% less than in 1996.
As they entered the last weeks of the campaign, Republican committees had $42.7 million
cash-on-hand, while Democratic committees’ cash totalled $23 million.
In the area of candidate support, Republican national committees have spent three times
as much as Democratic national committees. Republicans spent a total of $23.6 million for
their candidates, including $1.5 million in direct contributions, $21.6 million in
coordinated expenditures*, and $549,400 in independent expenditures. Democrats spent $8.3
million to promote their candidates, with $888,422 in direct contributions, $7.4 million
in coordinated expenditures, and $76,745 in independent expenditures.
The largest percentage increases for both parties continue to be in non-federal, or "soft
money" (funds raised outside the limitations and prohibitions of the Federal
Election Campaign Act). Republicans have raised nearly $211 million, an increase of 74%
over the same period in 1995-96, the last presidential cycle, while Democrats raised
almost $199 million, a 85% increase. Soft money now represents 42% of all National
Republican Party financial activity and 53% of Democratic National Party fundraising.
Much of the activity of national party committees in recent election cycles has shifted
toward transfers of funds from the national committees to the various states. In total,
the national committees of the Democratic Party transferred $147.2 million to the various
states. The national committees of the Republican Party transferred $136.6 million. Hard
dollar transfers by the Democrats totaled $40.7 million. Republicans transferred $38
million in hard dollars. Soft money transfers totalled $106.5 million for the Democrats
and $98.5 million for the Republicans. These transfers to the states are listed on the
last two pages of this release.
Charts attached to this release provide comparable data for five previous election
cycles (four cycles for "soft money").
*
Coordinated expenditures are monies spent by
national and state party committees on general election nominees and are in addition to
contributions. They are limited in amount.