Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Ben Lujan announced Wednesday a record-breaking cash donation haul for House Democrats for the month of June. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

July 19 (UPI) -- House Democrats raised more than $15 million last month -- the highest monthly amount so far this year -- for the November midterm elections.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party's official campaign arm, said it raised $15.2 million in June.


That amount broke this year's previous record, $11.2 million in May, and is the highest amount to date in the 2018 election cycle.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has not released its June figures, but has mostly trailed the DCCC in fundraising this year.

DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján said the committee raised nearly $5.5 million online in June with an average gift of $20, also a monthly record. It also raised $2.2. million on June 30 alone, the largest single day of fundraising so far.

The total now raised for Democrats is more than $177 million, with more than $65 million from online donations. Some 387,000 first-time donors contributed, the DCCC said.

Among bigger donors, hedge fund guru Seth Klarman may have made big impact on some of the fundraising. He gave more than $2.9 million to Republicans in 2016, but broke with the party in opposition to President Donald Trump's policies and leadership. He has given more than $250,000 to about 80 Democrats this year, Forward reported.

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Among them are Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Brad Schneider of Illinois and Elliot Engel of New York.

The record numbers seem to indicate an aggressive push by the party to try and pry control of Congress from Republicans in the middle of Trump's first term.

The DCCC raised $12.1 million in June 2016, five months before the presidential election.

Still, incumbent House Republicans hold a financial advantage over Democratic challengers in 13 of 18 tossup congressional seats where primaries have been held, Bloomberg reported.

The Republicans collectively had $26.6 million in their war chests at the end of June, compared to $16 million for Democrats.