McCain and the GOP: A Dynamic Financial Partnership

By Alex Knott, CQ Staff Fri Jul 18, 1:02 PM ET

Republican presidential candidate John McCain and the Republican Party are knocking on the door of history when it comes to joint fundraising committees.

Four joint fundraising committees have helped the Arizona senator raise more than $61 million during the last three months, according to new quarterly reports filed earlier this week with the Federal Election Commission. But McCain's own Victory 2008 Fund, formed with the national Republican Party and three of its state affiliates, has hauled in $41.2 million on its own. That figure represents the second largest amount ever raised by any joint fund-raising committee. And with more than four months to go, the Victory committee is almost certain to pass 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's joint committee, which raised a total of $42.1 million during his campaign.

All together, the four joint committees set up by McCain's campaign in conjunction with the Republican National Committee lead all other joint fundraising operations -- about 234 of them on record with the FEC -- for this election cycle.

On the Democratic side, the Obama Victory Fund, a joint committee set up to aide Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee in June, has not yet reported its fundraising totals for the second quarter.

As things stand now, the joint committees with the largest receipts this cycle are:

- John McCain, John McCain 2008 General Election Compliance Fund, RNC, Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee, Republican Party of Minnesota, Republican Campaign Committee of New Mexico, Republican Party of Wisconsin: McCain Victory 2008, $41,206,612

- John McCain, RNC: McCain Victory Committee, $10,965,306.00

- John McCain, John McCain 2008 General Election Compliance Fund, RNC, California Republican Party: McCain Victory California, $7,303,203

- John McCain, John McCain 2008 General Election Compliance Fund, RNC, Republican Party of Florida: McCain Victory Florida, $2,259,665

- Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., NRSC: The McConnell Majority Committee, $2,123,102

- NRCC, NRSC: The 2007 President's Dinner Committee, $1,949,869

- Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., NRSC: Kentucky Victory 2007, $1,840,950

- NRSC, NRCC:The 2008 President's Dinner Committee, $1,417,798

- DNC, Kentucky State Democratic Central Executive Committee: Sessions Victory Committee, $1,017,655

- DNC, Democratic Nominee (pending): Democratic White House Victory Fund, $983,100