House Democrats are crowing about a stronger fundraising month than their GOP counterparts had and planning to use the cash for a late-election-cycle ad blitz.
According to Democratic and Republican officials who revealed the fundraising numbers ahead of their official release, the National Republican Congressional Committee gathered about $6 million in May, leaving it with nearly $33.8 million in the bank, while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee hauled in $6.7 million, putting its bank balance at $27.5 million.
While Democrats trail on the cash-on-hand number, they think the momentum is in their favor, having out-raised the NRCC by $10 million for the election cycle, $96.8 million to $86.6 million.
The Democrats have also locked up significantly more TV time than Republicans to run ads this fall in House races.
The DCCC has reserved $46.1 million in broadcast time in 60 congressional districts, including 37 with Republican incumbents, 11 with Democratic officeholders, and 12 open seats.
So far, the NRCC has booked air time in 33 districts. An official says they will be buying more time.
"House Democrats are on offense, aggressively putting seats in play, and have energized grassroots support," said the DCCC's communications director, Jennifer Crider, in a memo.
Crider also wrote that individual Democratic candidates have doing better, asserting that 70 percent of the DCCC’s "Red to Blue" candidates -- those challengers of Republican incumbents who the party thinks can help them take back the House majority -- are raising more cash than their opponents.
The party money doesn't tell the whole tale in the year of the super PACs, however. A number of leading Democrats have warned they will lose in contests where outside money overwhelms candidate or party spending. Democrats need to net 25 seats to retake control of the House.
Party committees won't be the only ones spending money in the 2012 elections. Check out a list of super PAC donors empowered by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision below:
