Democrats control the White House and both houses of Congress, but in the very early battle for the next election cycle, Republicans are ahead in the money. The Republican State Leadership Committee, which focuses on state level races, reported a record fundraising total during the first quarter of this year. That bodes well for the GOP maintaining its dominance at the state level, where Republicans control 30 of 50 state legislatures and 61 of the 99 total state legislative chambers nationwide. One of those in GOP control is Texas, where Democrats failed miserably at making inroads last year.
The fundraising numbers come as no surprise to Matt Mackowiak, Texas Republican strategist. "The stakes are really high right now, and I think Republican donors, candidates and activists all see an opportunity to make gains as early as this November," he says. "It's encouraging to see donors around the country investing in these opportunities, because the opportunity is definitely there."
Mackowiak notes there are already some key state level contests in 2021, like governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey. "These races are important this year, because they tell us a lot about the political environment, and they will tell us a lot about what voters care about," he tells KTRH. "And what voters care about in those states very well may tell us what they're going to care about next year in the midterm elections."
As for those midterm elections in 2022, Republicans only need to gain five seats in the House and one in the Senate to take back control of each chamber. "I think Republicans and conservatives definitely feel like there's an opportunity to get power back quickly, that the Biden administration is not strong, and they're not going to be strong," says Mackowiak. "And so we have a tremendous opportunity to gain power back."