Candidates looking to take down sitting members of Congress in primaries are stockpiling cash as their races heat up, according to fundraising reports filed Wednesday — and it’s Democratic lawmakers who are mostly on defense.
At least nine House Democrats and one Democratic senator, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, were outraised by their primary challengers in the first fundraising quarter of the year, suggesting the energy within the party that is clamoring for new leaders is fueling some of these contests.
More broadly, two dozen House Democrats and two Senate Democrats are facing primary challengers who raised around $200,000 or more during the first three months of the year, according to an NBC News analysis of reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Only one House Republican was outraised by a primary challenger, and only two Republicans are facing opponents who raised more than $200,000.
But strong fundraising doesn’t always lead to a victory, especially since incumbents bring other advantages to their races, including high name recognition and established bases of support.
Both Democratic Reps. Valerie Foushee of North Carolina and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi were outraised by their primary challengers, and both prevailed in their primaries last month. Also, GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas lost his primary race in March despite a sizable financial advantage over his primary challenger, state Rep. Steve Toth.
Democrats on defense
The nine House Democrats who were outraised by their primary opponents include seven who are at least 70 years old and are facing younger challengers, with the party’s generational divides bursting open after Democrats’ loss to President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race.
Most of these lawmakers still ended March with more money in their campaign accounts than their challengers.
One exception was Rep. David Scott of Georgia, 80, who raised $58,000 in the first quarter and was outraised by four of his primary opponents: state Rep. Jasmine Clark, who led the Democratic field with a $622,000 haul; dentist Heavenly Kimes, who largely self-funded her campaign; former Gwinnett County School Board Chair Everton Blair; and state Sen. Emanuel Jones. Jones and Clark also ended the quarter with more money on hand than Scott.
David Hogg, president of Leaders We Deserve, which backs Democratic candidates running against older incumbents, cheered fundraising hauls from younger primary challengers Thursday. He noted that four of the group’s endorsed candidates raised more money than the incumbents they are challenging.
Hogg touted fundraising hauls from state Rep. Justin Pearson as he challenges longtime Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee; Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who is challenging Rep. Shri Thanedar; attorney Patrick Roath, who is running against Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts; and Rep. Christian Menefee of Texas, who is battling fellow Rep. Al Green for the same House seat due to redistricting.
“Americans are supporting leaders who answer to them, not corporations and special interests. This is what people-powered politics looks like,” Hogg said in a statement. “Young, progressive candidates are running laps around status quo incumbents and it’s not hard to see why.”
Other younger primary challengers who raised more than Democratic incumbents include former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, who is running against Rep. John Larson of Connecticut; former Biden White House aide Jake Levine, who is running against Rep. Brad Sherman of California; and organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is running against Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York.
But it was an older former Democratic lawmaker who led all primary challengers in fundraising, thanks to his vast personal wealth. Former Rep. David Trone of Maryland, 70, loaned his campaign $5 million as he takes on Rep. April McClain Delaney, 61, who pulled in $1.8 million after loaning her campaign $1.5 million.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida had the worst fundraising quarter of any sitting House member, pulling in just $11,000 in the first three months of the year. She is facing calls for her expulsion after a House panel found her guilty of 25 ethics charges related to allegations that she stole millions of dollars of federal relief funds. (Cherfilus-McCormick has denied wrongdoing.) Community organizer Elijah Manley was her only primary opponent that reported raising significant funds in the first quarter, pulling in $102,000.
In the Massachusetts Senate race, Markey was outraised by his primary opponent, Rep. Seth Moulton, who also ended the quarter with more funds in his campaign account than the senator. Markey raised $776,000 in the first three months of the year, while Moulton raised nearly $1.1 million.
Ten House Democratic primary challengers, and one Senate challenger, also raised around $200,000 or more in the first quarter.
That group includes two candidates who have been endorsed by the progressive group Justice Democrats: former Rep. Cori Bush, who is in a rematch against Rep. Wesley Bell of Missouri, and Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang, who is running against Rep. Doris Matsui of California.
Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander also raised $746,000 as he challenges Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman. But Goldman still lapped Lander in fundraising with a $2.2 million haul.
Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper’s primary challenger, Colorado state Sen. Julie Gonzales, raised $265,000. But Hickenlooper raised $1.4 million and ended the quarter with $4 million on hand to Gonzales’ $114,000.
GOP money flows as Trump seeks revenge
Republican primaries have been comparably quieter, except in the cases where Trump has sought to help topple a perceived political enemy.
That’s the case in Louisiana’s rough-and-tumble Republican Senate primary, where Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow outraised Sen. Bill Cassidy last quarter, $3.9 million to $1.4 million. State Treasurer John Fleming, who, like Letlow, has been framing Cassidy as a thorn in Trump’s side, also technically raised more money than the incumbent, but that was only because he loaned his campaign $2.5 million.
Cassidy’s campaign has pointed to fundraising into other affiliated groups and his healthy cash-on-hand advantage over Letlow as signs of strength. But Letlow’s sizable fundraising haul comes as the incumbent is fighting for his political life five years after he voted to convict Trump in the Jan. 6 impeachment trial.
But in the main House race where Trump is looking to exact his revenge, the president’s pick still lagged in fundraising.
Trump’s pick in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, had previously outraised Rep. Thomas Massie. But this quarter, Massie flipped the script, raising $2.5 million compared with Gallrein’s $1.2 million.
As Trump looms large over Republican primaries, his presence is also being felt in races where he’s decided to stay out. In Texas' Senate race, Sen. John Cornyn outraised Attorney General Ken Paxton $2.8 million to $1.7 million, when comparing primary campaign committees. Cornyn has also raised millions more into affiliated committees that can help boost his effort as he looks to survive next month’s primary runoff against Paxton, with Republicans waiting to see if Trump will endorse either candidate.
Other GOP incumbents face primary hurdles
The latest campaign reports also provide new clues about other notable Republican primaries.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina received a boost last week when Paul Dans, who oversaw the Project 2025 policy plan, ended his GOP primary bid. But Dans endorsed the other primary challenger in the race, Mark Lynch, who raised just $150,000 last quarter but had $3.3 million left on hand, since the businessman had been self-funding his campaign. Graham himself raised about $1 million and has $11.6 million banked away.
Behind Massie's race, arguably the most prominent Republican primary in the House is in California’s 40th District. Reps. Young Kim and Ken Calvert were forced into the same race because of how Democrats redrew the state's congressional map. Kim outraised Calvert $1.3 million to $750,000 and closed the quarter with a cash-on-hand edge of $5.8 million to $3.7 million.
Seven incumbent Republicans with upcoming primaries face challengers that raised more than $100,00 last quarter, but only one was outraised. That was Rep. Jack Bergman of Michigan, whose $400,000 raised last quarter fell short of his primary opponent, businessman Matthew DenOtter. But most of DenOtter’s haul came from a personal loan.
