The Republican Party is spending big on its ground game — the party’s first major investment in the run-up to the midterms.
The Republican National Committee sent 34 staffers to 17 states last week to run canvassing operations targeting voters who don’t frequently turn out for elections, a voting bloc that helped President Donald Trump win in 2024.
The initial spend is “seven figures,” an RNC official told NOTUS. The RNC did not provide its full list of target states, but it will be in battlegrounds including North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Georgia, as well as “places that we don’t traditionally play,” such as Alaska and Maine, the official said. The party is planning to send more staffers in mid-May.
“We’re not leaving turnout to chance — we’re building the ground game to win, protect our majorities in the House and Senate, and give President Trump a full four years to deliver,” RNC Chair Joe Gruters said in a statement.
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For its part, the DNC in January invested seven figures in a voter registration effort and its largest in-person campaign staff training program to date. It also rolled out a pair of programs in December to staff down-ballot campaigns, committed to making monthly investments into its state parties, and unveiled pilot technologies to aid campaigns.
“Democrats have momentum and formidable infrastructure on our side — and no amount of corrupt GOP billionaire cash can change the fact that Trump’s toxic agenda will lead to Republicans getting trounced this November,” said Rosemary Boeglin, the DNC’s communications director.
The RNC began this year with a significant fundraising advantage over Democrats. It raised $172 million in 2025 and had $95 million cash on hand, compared to the Democratic National Committee’s $145 million raised, $14 million on hand and $17 million in debt. The RNC currently has nearly $117 million cash on hand, and the DNC currently has nearly $14 million, according to their April FEC reports.
“When people start to ask, where’s the money going? What’s happening? This is the first salvo,” said Zach Parkinson, the RNC’s communications director. The RNC spent less in 2025 than any cycle since 2014, with the exception of the 2023-2024 cycle when fundraising was low.
The RNC’s ground operation is the latest example of Republicans taking advantage of a Federal Elections Commission advisory opinion that allows party committees to coordinate with campaigns on messaging and canvassing efforts.
An RNC official said May is the “sweet spot for when voters in targeted districts start to pay attention to things.” The committee is also trying to get ahead of an impending Supreme Court decision in a case between Senate Republicans’ campaign arm and the FEC; the ruling will determine whether national party committees can spend unlimited amounts on political advertising created or informed by candidates.
“Part of that is not just because we want to make sure the resources are going to the right races, but also, if the campaign finance rules were to change, we know that these dollars become even more valuable and can have even more impact,” Parkinson said.
This story has been updated to reflect Parkinson’s new title and the most recent FEC reports.
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