The numbers don’t lie: The DNC is winning where it matters most

Political media have developed a bad habit of confusing financial reporting with political strength. Fundraising totals, cash-on-hand figures, and quarterly comparisons are useful data points, but they are increasingly being treated as a proxy for overall party performance. Today, they are being used to construct a narrative of Democratic weakness that does not reflect what is actually happening on the ground.

Having spent the last decade as a Democratic National Committee member working on efforts to strengthen state parties, expand year-round organizing, and move away from short-term, consultant-driven campaign spending models, I have seen firsthand how often Washington discussions about “party strength” are disconnected from what actually drives electoral performance: sustained organizing capacity, local infrastructure, and grassroots engagement.

One of the most persistent misconceptions in media coverage is that the DNC is facing a fundraising crisis or operating from a position of financial weakness. That is not accurate.

In 2025, the Republican National Committee raised about 16 percent more than the DNC. This gap is often presented as evidence of structural weakness, but it is frequently reported without the broader political context in which it occurs. 

Republicans currently control the White House. They have an administration openly operating with a corrupt kind of transactional politics where major donors fear their licenses, mergers and regulatory approvals may suffer if they don’t stay on President Trump’s good side. Democrats do not have that leverage, nor would we want to operate that way.

In fact, under Chair Ken Martin, the DNC is not only meeting its........

© The Hill