The Democratic National Committee announced an additional investment in South Carolina ahead of the 2024 election thanks to record fundraising.
The additional "high five-figure investment" is for a staffer that will focus on get out the vote efforts for legislative races in the state. South Carolina, unlike its neighbors to the north and south, is not a swing state and there are no statewide races on the ballot this November.
All 124 state House and 46 state Senate races are up for reelection this year as well as the seven congressional seats. However, only a handful of races are competitive and Republicans are looking to maintain and possibly grow their supermajorities in both chambers. Democrats are looking to retake four House seats in Greenwood, Clarendon, Charleston and Hampton counties that Republicans flipped in 2022.
Jaime Harrison, former South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman turned DNC Chair, is fully aware of the challenges Democrats face in the state and sees the investment as a boost.
"I know firsthand that Democrats in South Carolina are eager to stand up to Trump and Republicans’ extreme agenda to rip away Americans’ most fundamental rights," Harrison said in a statement. "With Vice President Harris at the helm and record-breaking investments in coordinated campaigns, the DNC and Democratic state parties across the country have the momentum to strengthen coordinated operations in the critical final stretch to November to deliver wins for Democrats and all South Carolinians.”
Vice President Kamala Harris has brought in record amounts of money in her first full month at the top of the ticket. The Harris campaign raised $361 million in August and has $404 million on hand, per federal filings. The Trump campaign raised $130 million in August and reported having $295 million in cash on hand at the end of the month.
Bloomberg reports that the Harris campaign spent $7.5 million a day, on average, in August, compared to a $2.6 million daily average for Trump. Harris and independent groups backing her are set to spend $559 million on advertising from Labor Day through the election compared with $306 million for the groups supporting Trump.
The record high fundraising also led the Harris campaign to send $24.5 million to House, Senate and state party committees to aid Democrats in down-ballot races, something the Trump campaign has not done yet. This latest investment by the DNC represents $2.5 million to both traditionally red and blue states, to "strengthen coordinated campaigns and boost Democratic wins in down-ballot races."
For South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Christale Spain, said the DNC investment will help. "South Carolina Democrats have spent the last few months executing a very targeted campaign strategy in an effort to win legislative seats," Spain said. "The DNC’s investment is critical to our success in November."
The DNC said this is the first election cycle it has sent funding and resources to all 57 states and territories.
