According to The Hill, a number of high-profile Democratic donors who poured tens of millions of dollars into Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign are feeling “shell-shocked.”
“Democratic investors went in on Clinton to the tune of more than $550 million, believing she would dispatch Trump, deliver Democrats the Senate and help the party make inroads into the GOP’s House majority…Instead, Democrats find themselves in the throes of a full-scale and expensive rebuilding project punctuated by a rudderless DNC that won’t elect a new leader until more than a month after Trump is sworn into office.”
Some of Clinton’s most generous donors are planning on holding back, donating only to local and gubernatorial elections, or simply giving to charity.
The Hill quotes attorney and Clinton fundraiser, John Morgan:
“I may very well be done with political giving entirely…My message to anyone reading this is, ‘Don’t call me, I’ll call you.’ From here on out, I’m giving to charities. I’d much rather give money to build a new Boys & Girls Club than to give to the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee].”
Others, however, are committed to upping the ante. Gara LaMarche, president of Democracy Alliance, says it’s critical at this juncture to protect liberal policy, such as abortion access, and socialized healthcare. David Brock, founder of Media Matters, wants to build an organization to rival the likes of Judicial Watch, a conservative organization that had a major impact on the election.
With the 2018 mid-terms looming, the Democrats might want to buckle up. Of the 23 Senate seats incumbent Democrats will be defending in 2018, ten have the potential to be easily flipped by Republicans. Money will be more critical than ever in getting vulnerable Democrats re-elected.
Despite panic on the Left, Republicans better think twice before resting on their laurels. The push and pull of Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump was the driving force behind the 2016 election cycle. Republican candidates in 2018 won’t have the Trump movement to bank on. Perhaps more importantly, they won’t get to use Hillary Clinton as a baton to cripple their Democratic rivals.
The energy may have evaporated for now, but the Democrats will get the money they need. Republicans shouldn’t take the anecdotes of demoralized liberals as evidence that they’ll have some kind of extraordinary advantage in 2018–that would be a lazy and foolish move that could cost them easy wins.
