Democrats Face Massive Financial Problems as Midterm Elections Approach

The New York Times rakes Republicans in general, President Trump in particular, over the coals multiple times each and every day. It is as regular as clockwork, as predictable as death and taxes.

But give Shane Goldmacher and Reid J. Epstein credit (or perhaps they just despise Democratic National Chair Ken Martin). But in either case yesterday’s story—“Inside the Phone-Throwing Drama at the Troubled, Broke Democratic Party”—is a humdinger.

The subhead goes even further: “The Democrats should be well positioned to make gains in this year’s midterms. But inside party headquarters, every week brings paranoia, worries about money and, on occasion, emotional eruptions.”

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In a story like this, you want to start with something dramatic such as

“The Democratic Party is so short on cash that leaders at its headquarters have undertaken a new gambit to mask the severity of the problems: asking vendors not to send bills until after the midterm elections. The bookkeeping maneuver, which was described by three people briefed on it, is the latest sign of financial duress for the Democratic National Committee and its embattled leader as money troubles threaten to undercut Democratic momentum with 100 days until the midterms.”

They lay out the situation of President Trump who is fighting real headwinds before pivoting to the core of the story: money, or the lack thereof. Here’s the pivot….

“But dysfunction and debt inside one of the party’s key institutions — which is getting crushed in fund-raising by its Republican counterpart — are creating rising anxiety for top Democrats.”

To wit…

“The Democratic Party and its allies are far behind Republicans when it comes to money. Mr. Trump controls a $400 million super PAC, and the Republican National Committee is sitting on nearly $130 million. Mr. Martin’s D.N.C. is $2 million in debt. … even after taking out a $15 million loan last year. …

The D.N.C. has since paid more than $700,000 in interest on that loan, averaging more than $75,000 per month, federal records show. Party officials are now reckoning with the fact that they must begin to repay $1.66 million of the loan’s principal per month starting in January, according to the loan’s terms.

 You should read the story for yourself. Assuming you do, let me add just two other quotes besides noting in passing the story of how Martin supposedly hurtled a phone at an aide (or at a desk, who knows) and his mounting “paranoia.”

Trust in Mr. Martin — among both donors and party officials — was sapped by his handling of a long-promised autopsy of the 2024 election. Late last year, he said he would not release the document. But as criticism mounted, he relented in May and released an incomplete draft that featured searing annotations from the D.N.C. that undermined the report.

And the killer-of-a-conclusion

Mr. Martin’s pledge to increase monthly handouts to state parties has been the centerpiece of his spending agenda. But his inclusion of the territories has caused consternation.

Spending from the D.N.C. and an affiliated fund-raising committee for Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Marianas, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa has reached about $840,000 since the beginning of last year, federal records show — far more than in the past.

None of those territories will have any impact on control of Congress.

LifeNews.com Note: Dave Andrusko is the editor of National Right to Life News and an author and editor of several books on abortion topics. He frequently writes Today’s News and Views — an online opinion column on pro-life issues.