It’s official — Democrats can’t even win a fundraising race against their own party members.

New FEC filings just dropped, and the numbers tell a brutal story for Democrats heading into the 2026 midterms. Nine House Democrats were outraised by their own primary challengers in the first quarter of this year. Seven of those nine are over 70 years old.

Let that sink in. The old guard of the Democrat Party is losing the money race to people within their own ranks.

The worst case might be Georgia Rep. David Scott. The 80-year-old congressman managed to raise a grand total of $58,000 last quarter. Meanwhile, one of his primary challengers — state Rep. Jasmine Clark — pulled in $622,000. That’s more than ten times the sitting congressman’s haul. Four different challengers outraised him.

And it’s not just Scott. Across the board, aging Democrat incumbents are getting lapped. A total of 30 House Democrats now face at least one primary challenger who has already raised over $100,000. The internal spending on these fights has ballooned past $64 million — and that’s all money being spent fighting other Democrats, not Republicans.

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The NRCC was quick to spike the football:

Hard to argue with that when the numbers back it up. NRCC-backed Republicans have outraised their Democrat counterparts for five consecutive quarters. In Q1 alone, Republicans averaged $1.2 million per candidate with $3.5 million in cash on hand. Democrats? An average of $919,000 with $2.4 million banked.

NBC News reported on the growing crisis within the party:

Candidates looking to take down sitting members of Congress in primaries are stockpiling cash as their races heat up, according to fundraising reports filed Wednesday — and it’s Democratic lawmakers who are mostly on defense.

At least nine House Democrats and one Democratic senator, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, were outraised by their primary challengers in the first fundraising quarter of the year.

The nine House Democrats who were outraised by their primary opponents include seven who are at least 70 years old and are facing younger challengers, with the party’s generational divides bursting open after Democrats’ loss to President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race.

There it is. Seven out of nine outraised Democrats are 70 or older. The base has made its feelings known — and they’re writing checks to prove it.

NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella put it bluntly:

It’s not just the House, either. Over in the Senate, Chuck Schumer’s handpicked candidates are getting beaten by anti-establishment challengers across multiple battleground states.

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The Washington Examiner laid out the damage on the Senate side:

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s handpicked Democratic candidates are being outpaced in fundraising by anti-establishment primary challengers across multiple battleground states.

In Maine, progressive challenger Graham Platner raised $4.1 million compared to Schumer-backed Gov. Janet Mills’ $2.7 million. In Michigan, State Sen. Mallory McMorrow brought in $3 million while Schumer’s pick, Rep. Haley Stevens, raised her lowest haul since last summer at just over $2 million.

So let’s add this up. Democrat House incumbents are getting outraised by their own primary challengers. Schumer’s Senate recruits can’t keep up with progressive insurgents. And meanwhile, Republicans are setting fundraising records every single quarter.

The Democrat Party is tearing itself apart from the inside — and spending $64 million doing it. Every dollar they throw at each other is a dollar that won’t be spent against a Republican in November. At this rate, the 2026 midterms might be over before they even begin.

 

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