Vulnerable House Democrats started to make up ground on their Republican counterparts over the past three months, as both parties gear up for the 2026 midterms.
But Republican incumbents still have a distinct cash advantage, according to a POLITICO analysis of third-quarter campaign finance reports disclosed this week, even as most of their members could not replicate the whopping numbers from earlier this year.
House Republicans raked in cash over the summer, driven in part by substantial transfers from joint fundraising committees powered by Speaker Mike Johnson, the National Republican Congressional Committee and other GOP leaders. The third-quarter fundraising was a bit more even between the two parties, with some Republican numbers fading and a handful of Democrats picking up the pace.
After just one vulnerable House Democrat raised $1 million in the second quarter, four members targeted by the NRCC raised at least that total in the third quarter. That group includes Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), who represents a district President Donald Trump won by 10 points and also faces a primary challenge. Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Derek Tran (D-Calif.) and Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) each also each raised more than $1 million.
“Americans are tired of the disastrous GOP agenda of higher costs, broken promises, and tax breaks for billionaires. They’re ready for change and it’s why Democratic candidates are seeing a surge of support and will take back the House in 2026,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Viet Shelton said in a statement.
All told, battleground incumbents are stockpiling cash now ahead of huge midterm fights. The median targeted Republican had $1.7 million in their campaign account at the end of September compared to just over $1.5 million for the targeted median Democrat.
Four vulnerable House Republicans — Reps. Young Kim (R-Calif.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) — also brought in more than $1 million from July through September. That was down from 10 House Republicans who notched at least $1 million in the second quarter.
Overall, only three of 31 House Republicans targeted by the DCCC brought in more funds this quarter compared to the previous quarter. But Republicans largely maintained a cash on hand advantage over Democrats, thanks to funds built up in the first half of the year.
“I think we’re on the right side of the issues, and that is absolutely critical. I think everybody’s been doing their job,” said Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), the House Republican conference chair. “I think what’s more important is that we’re on the right side of the issues, more than fundraising.”
The median House Republican targeted by the DCCC raised $614,000, while the median House Democrat targeted by the NRCC raised $612,000, according to the POLITICO analysis.
“It’s crystal clear: The momentum is all on the side of House Republicans. While House Republicans are building war chests and delivering results, vulnerable Democrats are burning cash and fending off their radical base,” NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella said in a statement.
There were warning signs in certain districts for both parties: In south Texas, incumbent Democrats whose districts were made tougher by redistricting still lagged other vulnerable Democrats in fundraising; Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) brought in $444,000 while Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) brought in $224,000. Still, both outraised Republicans challenging them in their new districts.
Asked on Thursday about whether Democrats need to direct more money to candidates affected by redistricting, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries noted that Cuellar and Gonzalez have “already won in tough districts with Donald Trump on the ballot.”
“Even if Republican policies may maintain more support than in other parts of the country, there still has been significant erosion, and that reality, combined with the strength of Vincente Gonzales and Henry Cuellar in the Rio Grande Valley, makes me very confident that they will both be reelected,” Jeffries said.
Meanwhile a handful of Republicans in Trump-won seats whom national Democrats have identified as targets for next year did not fundraise like they were preparing for a real challenge. Two were outraised by Democrats aiming to defeat them.
Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) raised $132,000, while challenger Noah Widmann brought in more than $200,000. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) raised just shy of $65,000 and was outraised by two Democratic challengers in the third quarter, including Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder, who raised nearly $800,000.
Trump won both Mills’ and Ogles’ seats by double digits, but Democrats believe they had inroads as both members have faced controversies.
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