Fundraising numbers drop for some Republicans

Tea Party insurgents in the House have seen a large decrease in campaign donations over the past few months, and some of the most conservative new members are barely able to match the fundraising amounts of primary competitors. An analysis by USA Today showed that those Republicans who signed the August letter asking House leaders to include the defunding of Obamacare in the budget bill had a significant drop in fundraising between July and September.

Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida, who was an advocate for the default, raised $51,000 in the third quarter, as opposed to the $117,900 he made in the previous few months. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio also saw a 10% drop in funds from the quarter before. However, David Trott, primary opponent to Bentivolio, raised around $650,000, a giant leap from Bentivolio’s $59,177.

Jack Pitney, a professor at Claremont McKenna College, commented: “This could be the beginning of the revenge of Main Street…a lot of mainstream Republicans are starting to worry that Tea Party Republicans are costing the party more than the support they bring in.” Businesses are also worried about the economic costs of Tea Party goals, and many business leaders are turning to primary challengers instead. “Our members are going to be a lot more active because they are getting frustrated,” said the National Retail Federation’s chief lobbyist, David French. “Pessimistic and disengaged consumers are not good for retail.”