Over Dozen Democrats May Have Hard Time Holding Onto Their Seats, New Fundraising Numbers Show

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (Screenshot/CSPAN)

More than a dozen House Democrats — including several vulnerable members at risk of losing reelection — are lagging in fundraising behind opponents ahead of November’s midterm elections.

The relatively weak fundraising numbers for some Democratic incumbents — against both Republicans opponents and primary challengers — come as the party is seeking to retake House control in 2026. Fundraising reports filed for 2025’s fourth quarter, running from October to December, were due at the end of January.

The Democrats outraised by a Republican challenger include Reps. Dina Titus of Nevada, Don Davis of North Carolina, Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, Frank Mrvan of Indiana and Val Hoyle of Oregon.

Titus, a seven-term lawmaker representing a suburban district outside of Las Vegas, raised just under $300,000 in 2025’s fourth fundraising quarter. Republican candidate Carrie Buck, a member of the Nevada State Senate vying to unseat Titus, reported a fundraising haul of $350,000 in the same time span.

The Nevada Democrat, however, has a sizable cash-on-hand lead ($841,000 for Titus and $300,000 for Buck), but the gap could narrow ahead of November.

In a North Carolina battleground district, Republican candidate Laurie Buckhout is racing ahead of Davis, the incumbent, after loaning her campaign $2 million. Davis raised just over $515,000 in the fourth quarter. He is viewed as one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents running in 2026 following North Carolina redrawing its congressional maps to favor Republicans.

More than 10 House Democratic incumbents were outraised by a primary challenger in 2025’s fourth quarter. The intraparty battles are mostly occurring in safe blue seats where Republicans have few pickup opportunities.

Democratic Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen, 76, who has represented a Memphis-based district for nearly two decades, raised a paltry $84,000 in the fourth quarter. Cohen’s primary opponent, Democratic state Rep. Justin Pearson, 31, reported a $732,000 fundraising haul in the same time span. Pearson made national headlines in 2023 after Republicans voted to expel him and one of his Democratic colleagues from the state legislature for joining gun control protests in the House chamber.

Former Democratic Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, a one-time member of “the Squad” attempting a comeback bid during the midterms, outraised Rep. Wesley Bell, who ended her congressional career in a bruising 2024 primary. Bush raised more than $525,000 in the fourth quarter compared to Bell’s $454,000 haul, though the incumbent has more than four times the amount of cash in the bank ($848,000 to $205,000).

In a deep-blue Michigan district, Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar was outraised by primary rival, state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who reported a $263,000 haul. Thanedar’s campaign account reported losing $1.9 million in the fourth quarter due to his substantial crypto holdings taking a hit, according to The Detroit News. The incumbent lawmaker still has nearly $6.4 million in the bank.

Embattled Democratic Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick also reported a relatively weak fundraising haul of $119,000. The Justice Department indicted the Florida Democrat for allegedly stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) overpayments to a family-run company, which she then used to launch her 2022 congressional run. If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick could face more than five decades in prison.

Twenty or more GOP House incumbents were outraised by a Democratic challenger in the fourth quarter, Punchbowl News reported.

The cohort includes Republican Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, who trailed a GOP primary challenger and a Democratic candidate, according to his latest campaign finance report. Former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher raised $411,000 while Ogles brought in $151,000 during the fourth quarter.