House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called out House Republicans during a closed meeting this week over their lackluster fundraising numbers. McCarthy bluntly told Republicans that the Democrats are “kicking our ass” according to a report from Politico.
The Republican House leader made the remarks during a Tuesday morning meeting at the Capitol Hill Club — a swanky GOP meeting spot just steps from the Capitol Hill dome. Speaking to his members, McCarthy said, “They are kicking our ass,” referring to the Democrats.
The Democrats’ House fundraising efforts are spearheaded by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Over the course of 2019, Pelosi raised more money than the entire National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and she pumped a lot of that money back into her committee’s war chest.
In a press release in mid-January, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Executive Director Lucinda Guinn, said, “Our staggering fundraising advantage ensures House Democrats will have the resources to hold Mitch McConnell and Washington Republicans accountable for doing the work of special interests, especially when it hurts hardworking American families.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) posted an incredible year, raising over $110 million while the NRCC raised only $77 million. That figure also landed during inner-party strife for the Democrats. Freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has publicly said that she won’t pay her dues to the DCCC because she doesn’t approve of some of their positions.
The NRCC has come under criticism over the past few months for its ethics. In early January, the DCCC filed an ethics complaint, saying that the NRCC had their employees chasing Democratic members of Congress around Capitol Hill. A few months before that, Capitol Hill police were called on NRCC operatives after they left suspicious packages outside the offices of Democrats.
McCarthy’s tough talk isn’t the first time that Republican leadership in the lower chamber has scolded their members.
During a breakfast in mid-January, NRCC Chair Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) told Republicans, “Our members need to get their act together and raise more money. The individual campaigns need to raise more money. They can’t expect somebody else is going to do it for them.”