How a fundraising gender gap could ruin Democrats' chances of flipping the House

More Democratic women are running for House seats this fall than ever before, but the money they've raised doesn't exactly show it.

Cook Political Report shows 67 House races that are hovering near toss-up territory as the midterms approach. Yet the 34 Democratic women facing off in those races have raised an average of $500,000 less than the 33 Democratic men, NPR analysis has revealed.

Democratic women have so far raised an average of $1.59 million in each of their House races, while men have raked in an average of $2.15 million, per NPR. Women are securing a bit more funding from political action committees than men, but PAC money makes up a far narrower percentage of fundraising than small money and out-of-state donations. And with Democratic women falling behind in those categories, it's no surprise there's such a wide fundraising gender gap.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Still, these numbers are nothing new. Women have always pulled in less fundraising dollars than men, and we're only noticing now because there are more women candidates than ever, liberal consultant Taryn Rosenkranz tells NPR. Men earn more money than women, and they have traditionally made campaign donations more of a priority, contributing to the historical gap. But now, with Democratic women vying for half the seats on the verge of turning blue this fall, donors may have to acknowledge the obvious before Democrats can actually make their House-flipping dreams come true.

Read more about the political gender gap at NPR.