Contributions to GOP Decline
National Republican campaign committees have suffered multimillion-dollar drops in receipts and spending compared to the last non-presidential election campaign, the Federal Election Commission said Wednesday.
The GOP committees still have spent far more this time around than their Democratic counterparts, which did not experience a decline in campaign fund raising, the FEC said.
As of Oct. 17, the agency said, the Republican national, senatorial and congressional committees had received $30 million less and spent $26 million less than in the same period during the 1985-86 cycle.
Republican Party strategists have said GOP fund-raising efforts were hurt by President Bush’s change of heart on taxes.
Bush abandoned his no-new-taxes campaign pledge this fall and agreed to a package of spending cuts and new taxes to help reduce the federal deficit.
Nevertheless, the GOP outspent the Democrats this year by more than $118 million, according to the FEC.
The three GOP committees raised and spent $159 million from Jan. 1, 1989, to Oct. 17, 1990. The three Democratic committees raised $37 million and spent $40 million in the same period.
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