President Donald Trump‘s impeachment was arguably the best thing that ever happened to the Republican National Committee, as they launched a successful donation campaign opposing Trump’s impeachment. The RNC said it received $117 million in its effort, as well as gained 1 million new donors.
The RNC’s “Stop the Madness” campaign promoted anti-impeachment TV and digital ads after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) announced on Sept. 24 that she was opening an impeachment inquiry into Trump. They stopped running the ads after he was acquitted on Feb. 5.
RNC spokesman Rick Gorka told McClatchy DC that the ads cost $11.6 million and appeared on Google, Facebook, Hulu, YouTube, Instagram and the Drudge Report, as well as on TV. In total, 460 million people saw the ads.
The RNC said it also received contact information for nearly 3.5 million people who signed anti-impeachment petitions online.
From October through the end of the year, the RNC raised just over $72 million, and the Trump campaign received $46 million in donations.
In contrast, during the same time period, the Democratic National Committee received $28 million. Funds raised from candidates are separate from this number. The top Democratic fundraiser, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), raised $34.5 million in the fourth quarter.
“The Democrats did not see the money and energy like we did and it is costing them every day,” Gorka said in a statement, noting that the Republicans’ funds will likely go towards fundraising in the states the Trump lost in 2016.
