EXCLUSIVE: Republican Whip Steve Scalise raised more than $5.6 million in the last three months for the GOP’s push to retake control of the House of Representatives – the highest ever for a House whip in either political party.
Scalise, R-La., told Fox News Digital the haul would help ensure that GOP candidates across the country have sufficient financing as they head into the final stretch of the midterm elections.
“I feel very confident the [GOP majority] will be in the double digits,” said Scalise. “The question is whether it’s a dozen or 35, it could be anywhere within that range … but we’re going to win in a lot of places.”
Scalise has raised nearly $52 million since the start of 2021. More than $29 million of that sum has come from grassroots fundraising online, and nearly 50,000 people have donated in the past three months.
GOP WANTS TO EMPOWER HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE TO CURB SPENDING, $31T NATIONAL DEBT
To help win the majority, Scalise has given $4.2 million to the National Republican Congressional Committee in the past three months. Another $3.3 million has gone directly to boosting incumbent Republicans and first-time candidates.
“We’ve got a great field of candidates,” said Scalise. “We’re going to double the number of African American Republicans, [see] huge increases in women members, Hispanic members.”
HOUSE DEMS SAY THEIR LEGISLATIVE RECORD IS THE BEST WEAPON AGAINST MAGA REPUBLICANS IN THE MIDTERMS
Scalise predicted that Republicans could wind up building a GOP firewall along the U.S.-Mexico border by flipping long-held Democratic seats in the region. To make those hopes a reality, GOP leaders are working hard to create a contrast with House Democrats led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
In recent weeks, House Republicans have unveiled a broad governing agenda. Dubbed the Commitment to America, the proposal outlines several key areas the GOP would prioritize if entrusted with control of Congress. The plan specifically targets kitchen-table issues like crime, inflation and high gasoline prices.
House Democrats have panned the plan, saying it amounts to little more than slogans.
“They talk about lowering prices, that’s going to be a priority for them, and yet they voted against the Inflation Reduction, which caps the price of prescription drugs,” said Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I. “They talk about high gas prices, yet every single one them voted against a piece of legislation to go after price gouging big oil companies.”
GOP REP PROMISES TO TAKE AIM AT ‘WOKE’ MILITARY IF REPUBLICANS WIN ELECTION
Cicilline and other Democrats say voters will take into account their record in power when deciding how to vote. But Scalise said the Democratic record is why the GOP will do so well.
“Look at what they’ve done,” said Scalise. “They’ve wrecked the economy. They’ve wrecked our energy dominance where we now need to be reliant on foreign countries. They’ve opened the border. [Created] foreign policy debacles and seen crime explode.”