Democratic groups raised millions for 2018 after House Republicans passed their healthcare overhaul
In a joint statement released Friday, Democratic fundraising groups DailyKos, SwingLeft, and ActBlue reported that they raised a combined $2 million Thursday following the passage of the bill that would roll back President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law.
"Americans are horrified that congressional Republicans just voted to take away their health care, and that's kindled real anger-anger that the Daily Kos community is channeling with record-breaking donations at unheard-of speed," Daily Kos Political Director David Nir said in a statement.
ActBlue, a service used by Democratic candidates and political action committees to streamline online fundraising, told Business Insider the organization raised over $4 million on Thursday, including $300,000 through a page specifically targeting Republicans who voted in support of the bill. (As of noon on Friday, the number had grown to over $400,000.)
SwingLeft, a small grassroots organization founded after President Donald Trump's election, reported that it raised more than $150,000 in the hour after the healthcare bill and more than $800,000 on Thursday.
"Across America, grassroots Democrats are drawing a line in the sand on healthcare today and making their voices heard," ActBlue Executive Director Erin Hill said in a statement. "They're flooding their elected officials inboxes and voicemails, organizing protests and direct actions, and talking to their neighbors about what's at stake."
Official Democratic groups were more cagey about releasing fundraising totals.
A Democratic National Committee aide told Business Insider that the organization saw a "significant uptick in online donations" on Thursday, while Vice reported that the DNC had its strongest month of fundraising in over a month. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party's official congressional campaign arm, flooded subscribers' inboxes with fundraising emails immediately following the vote but did not immediately disclose its fundraising totals.
While many Democrats condemned the bill's potential effects, like the Congressional Budget Office's estimate that millions more people would be uninsured over the next decade, some saw the move as a political benefit for Democrats hoping to retake the House of Representatives in 2018.
Following the passage of the bill, Democrats on the House floor chanted: "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye," implying unpopular provisions in the bill would handicap Republicans seeking reelection next year.