Recent campaign finance data released reveals shocking details about the support among donors in the Republican Party.
Politico reported Tuesday that Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-FL) best fundraising period in the first financial quarter was during the days in which he was fighting now-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to keep him out of spot.
Around Jan. 6 and 7, 2023, Gaetz attacked McCarthy in fundraising emails as the "biggest alligator" in the Washington, D.C. swamp.
"Such strong fundraising days early in the quarter are unusual and suggest the Speaker fight was a significant driver of donations," Politico explained. "The Florida congressman brought in a total of roughly $675,000 during the first quarter, including more than $480,000 from donors giving less than $200 — a sign of enthusiasm from the party’s small-dollar base."
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Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) was early in attacking McCarthy for the Speaker post. That might be why his largest fundraising day was the day before the fight began.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) was running ads on Facebook about the Speaker fight, painting it as a positive for the GOP instead of the predominant theme of "Republicans in disarray."
"The speaker fight produced several days of above-average fundraising for Boebert in January, although her top fundraising days came later in the quarter," said Politico.
Extremist partisans pulling in cash from the base isn't unusual. What is, the report explained, is the timing of it, potentially indicating that the GOP base isn't happy with McCarthy.
