Republicans Demand To Know What Happened To Vanishing GOP Millions
National Republican Senatorial Committee funds declined to just $28.4 million by the end of June. (Photo: Manuel Augusto Moreno via Getty Images)
A number of Republican strategists and consultants are growing increasingly dismayed about millions of dollars vanishing at the National Republican Senatorial Committee — just when the funds are needed most, The Washington Post reported Friday.
Cash at the national campaign fund is dwindling as candidates head into the final stretch of Senate races across the U.S.
“If they were a corporation, the CEO would be fired,” a national Republican consultant working on Senate races told the newspaper, referring to the committee.
“There needs to be an audit or investigation because we’re not gonna take the Senate now and this money has been squandered,” added the consultant, who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity. “It’s a rip-off.”
Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who chairs the NRSC, has been attacked by Republicans for featuring himself in ads and releasing a policy agenda that caused trouble for the GOP, leading to quips that “NRSC” stands for “National Rick Scott Committee.”
NRSC funds had reportedly reached $173 million this election cycle but were already down to $28.4 million by the end of June.
The committee spent more than $12 million on American Express credit cardpayments with an unclear purpose, along with $13 million for consultants and $9 million on debt payments, the Post said.
Now, a number of Republican candidates are struggling to raise money ahead of the general elections in November.
“It’s surprising and says a lot about the Republican brand that their candidates have struggled to raise money,” J.B. Poersch, the president of the Democratic-allied Senate Majority PAC, told the Post.
“With extreme candidates and extreme positions, maybe Republican donors are finding these candidates are out of step with where they are,” he said. “Maybe voters are feeling the same way.”
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
