Money Woes Hurt Democrat Hopes In Governor Races

Democrats are desperate to rebuild their party apparatus in the states, but according to new fundraising figures, their daunting challenge just got even tougher. The Democratic National Committee just released its worst July fundraising numbers in a decade, leaving them without much-needed resources to rebuild state parties around the country that will be crucial to getting out the vote in gubernatorial races. To add insult to insult to injury, the Democratic Governors Association posted extremely weak fundraising numbers in the first half of 2017, dramatically trailing their Republican counterpart, after falling to a 95-year record low of just 15 governors.

While many Democrats have blamed the party’s fundraising issues on the fact that Nancy Pelosi is now “the party’s most recognizable and influential figure,” Democrat governors have embraced Pelosi’s toxic image and Virginia’s Democrat Governor Terry McAuliffe even shuttled Pelosi around the country to meet with donors to raise money for governors’ races. Democrats remain hopelessly tied to the same failed leaders that are pushing the same out-of-touch message. With Election Day 2018 only 15 months away, it’s clear that Democrats are already struggling to set themselves up for success.

Fox News reports:

“The Democratic National Committee just posted its worst July fundraising numbers in a decade, raising questions about why the party machine cannot capitalize on President Trump’s low approval ratings and whether new Chairman Tom Perez is up to the task.

The DNC raised $3.8 million last month, compared to $10.2 million for the Republican National Committee. The tally fit a pattern for the Democrats, who have posted a string of depressed fundraising numbers month after month this year, even after new party boss Perez took charge in February.

Perez, after the small haul was announced last week, attributed the disappointing July results to understaffing and too few fundraisers as he tries to rebuild the group in the wake of 2016’s damaging controversies…

But Democrats also aired a sense of frustration over the fundraising lag.

‘We really should be kicking their asses,’ one Democratic donor told The Hill…

Former Tennessee Democratic Rep. Harold Ford suggested Monday that the fundraising issues are connected to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi now essentially being the party’s most recognizable and influential figure.

…’Without a message and a local messenger, it is very difficult to construct a path to victory for Democrats in the Senate winning the majority and Democrats in the House doing it as well.’”