DCCC outraises NRCC in January by $1.7M

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) outraised its Republican counterpart in the month of January by nearly $1.7 million, and has nearly $2 million more cash on hand than the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). 

But despite the strong fundraising month, the DCCC is still facing more debt than the Republican committee.

As of Jan. 13, the DCCC raised $6.1 million, more than the $4.4 million raised by the NRCC over the same span. Democrats now have $4.6 million cash on hand, while the Republican Committee has $2.8 million cash on hand.

According to a DCCC aide, the more than $6 million haul marks the committee's best January ever, and it has more cash on hand than Republicans for the first time in more than two years, since right after the 2010 cycle.

But the DCCC still has $12.6 million in debt, more than the $11 million the NRCC has yet to pay down. The NRCC and the DCCC both eliminated about $1 million in debt over the month of January.

The fundraising totals for January offer proof, a DCCC aide said, that Democrats are better positioned going into 2014 than they have been in previous cycles, a position that echoes an argument made by DCCC Chairman Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) in a strategy memo sent out to House Democrats last Friday.

But Democrats will need to net 17 seats to take back the House, and they'll have to play defense in a handful of red-leaning districts nationwide, seven of which the NRCC has labeled top targets to flip from blue to red in 2014. Despite January's fundraising haul, Democrats will have a tough battle as the cycle heats up.

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