WASHINGTON _ House Democratic candidates are raising money like never before in the run-up to Election Day _ and their record-setting hauls are alarming already anxious Republicans who now worry that a difficult political environment is becoming even worse.
In Kentucky, for instance, Democrat Amy McGrath announced this week that she had collected $3.65 million from July through September. Sharice Davids, running in suburban Kansas City, said she had raked in $2.7 million during the quarter. And in California, Josh Harder delivered $3.5 million. Others across the country are repeatedly posting hauls of well more than $1 million.
The sums _ driven by small-dollar online fundraising _ are unprecedented, sometimes exceeding even what many House candidates typically raise during an entire campaign. And strategists in both parties say they see this cash surge as a major inflection point in the campaign.
