GOP Outstripping Democrats In Hunt For Convention Cash

Republicans may be bracing for chaos in Cleveland, but there’s one aspect of the party’s quadrennial nominating convention that appears on track: fundraising.

GOP officials said the two committees charged with raising money for the festivities are already close to meeting their goals, with $67.8 million in contributions secured to date. The two Democratic committees, by comparison, have lined up $43.6 million so far.

Both totals include pledges, so it remains to be seen how much the final tallies will be in the end. But Republicans have had more early success tapping wealthy donors, who can now give $100,200 apiece every year to new convention accounts authorized by a budget bill passed in late 2014.

The expanded party fundraising was sought by both Republican and Democratic party leaders after federal funding for the conventions was eliminated by a bipartisan bill that redirected the money into pediatric cancer research. In 2012, the federal grant totaled about $18 million for each convention — money each party now needs to raise on its own to produce its official program.

So far, the Republican National Committee has collected nearly $12 million for its convention committee, while the Democratic National Committee has raised $3.6 million, according to officials.

Separately, the host committee putting on the festivities for the GOP gathering in Cleveland has secured $56 million in donations and pledges. That’s as much as the Tampa host committee raised in all for the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Emily Lauer, a spokeswoman for the Cleveland host committee, said officials are confident they will hit their goal of raising $64 million before July, thanks to support of local and national benefactors.

“There is tremendous pride associated with hosting this historic event at a time that coincides with Cleveland’s continuing renaissance,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia host committee producing the events for the Democratic National Convention has “north of $40 million” in donations and pledges, according to spokeswoman Anna Adams-Sarthou.

“We are making great progress and we feel very good about where we are,” she said.