Democratic candidates, hoping to expand their majority in the US Congress and capture the White House in 2008 elections, are way ahead of Republican counterparts in campaign fund-raising, according to figures released today.
Democrats running for president, the US House of Representatives and Senate had raised a total of $313.4 million as of October 5th, according to statistics compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks money in politics.
Using Federal Election Commission data, the group said Republican candidates had collected only $213.8 million.
"Democrats are clearly enjoying the benefits of being in the majority," the Center for Responsive Politics said.
The group's data is available on its Internet site www.opensecrets.org.
Last November, Democrats won narrow control of the House and Senate from Republicans. It is not unusual for the party in power to win the race for campaign contributions.
Democrats also benefit from Republican President George W. Bush's low public approval ratings, which they hope helps them win the White House next year.
While money raised does not necessarily predict election outcomes, the stronger fund-raising by Democrats will allow their candidates to run more media ads and may have discouraged some Republican challengers. Fund-raising can also indicate how energized each party's core backers are.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, nine of the top 10 overall donors have given more than half their money in 2007 to Democrats.
Republicans are quick to note the public's widespread disapproval of Congress this year under Democratic rule. The average of several public opinion polls in late September and early October showed Congress' approval rating was hovering at a meager 25 per cent, lower than Bush's.
But Republicans should not be comforted by that number, as polling data also shows nearly 48 percent of the public favors Democrats in Congress, while 37 per cent prefers Republicans.
Following six years of deficit-spending by Bush, the Republican Party might also be losing the support of a key constituency - the business community.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC Newspoll, 37 per cent of professional managers identify themselves as Republican or leaning Republican, down from 44 per cent three years ago.
