Capitol Hill Buzz: GOP, Dems raise cash for ’16 House races

FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2010 file photo, then-Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. speaks in Middleton, Wis. Does Feingold want his old job in the Senate back? The State Department said Friday that the former three-term Democratic senator from Wisconsin is leaving his post as a special envoy in Africa next month. And it just so happens that the man who ousted Feingold from the Senate in 2010, GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, is up for re-election next year. (AP Photo/Joe Koshollek, File)

By Associated Press February 20, 2015 2 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – It’s nice to raise several million dollars. It’s sobering to realize that’s just a drop in a very, very big bucket.

On Friday, the House Democratic and Republican campaign organizations announced their fundraising figures for January as each starts amassing cash for next year’s congressional elections.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reported that it raised $6.4 million last month. That exceeded the National Republican Congressional Committee’s $4.4 million.

That gave Democrats $6.9 million in cash but a $10 million debt. The GOP committee had $3.6 million in cash and $7.5 million in debt.

To put that in perspective, the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics says nearly $1 billion was spent on 2014 House races.