Several state Republican parties are reportedly going bankrupt and struggling to raise funds while being weakened by infighting, in a year when some of these states could be crucial for the election of America's next president.
In Arizona and Michigan, two states where the GOP presidential candidate will likely have to win a majority of suburban voters to get back in the White House, the state Republican parties are running critically short on money. In Arizona, the state GOP has just $14,800 left in the bank at the end of August, as reported by the Arizona Mirror.
In Michigan, the state Republican Party had $93,000 in its bank accounts as of July 2023. A recent draft report shared by insiders with MLive in early December said that the party was on "the brink of bankruptcy."
According to the report drafted by an attorney hired by GOP activist Warren Carpenter: "In only a matter of a few months, the party is essentially non-functional and, worse yet, the party and others associated with the party are now facing potential civil and criminal consequences for breaking laws."
Merchandise is offered for sale to guests during the Oakland County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner on June 25, 2023, in Novi, Michigan. Several state Republican parties are nearly broke as the November election cycle approaches. Scott Olson/Getty Images
These are alarming sums for Republicans trying to keep control on these battleground states, especially as they hold a slim majority in some of the states' chambers, as in Arizona. There are two competitive seats on the line in the Grand Canyon State's House of Representatives this year, where Republicans currently have a 31-29 majority. The GOP controls both chambers of the Arizona state Legislature, while the state has a Democratic governor.
The state Republican Party in Minnesota is also struggling financially, with a filing revealing that it recently had only $53.81 in the bank and was more than $335,000 in debt, according to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing.
A 2023 report by Politico revealed that the Colorado GOP was also struggling and facing eviction from its office because it could not pay rent, Deputy Chief of Staff Roger Hudson said. The party denied the story and accused Hudson of spreading lies, though The Colorado Sun reported that last spring the state party didn't pay a single employee for the first time in 20 years.
In Massachusetts, Politico reported that the state GOP has racked up more than $400,000 in debts to vendors and had less than $70,000 in the bank.
The Florida state GOP is the latest to join this list of near-broke Republican parties, with sources saying it "is essentially broke," Michael Barfield, lead investigator and public access director at the Florida Center for Government Accountability, said on X, formerly Twitter. Barfield wrote that the Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler "raised no big money for the party."
Sources say @FloridaGOP is essentially broke. @ChrisMZiegler raised no big money for the party. @EvanPower says: “My #1 job will be fundraising. I have commitments from donors to write checks tomorrow. We can do a better job at being transparent.” https://t.co/2YFBDhmTTt — Michael Barfield (@mbar62) January 7, 2024
Fundraising might not be Ziegler's number one issue as Florida lawmakers will vote on removing him on Monday following allegations that he raped a woman who had been sexually involved with him and his wife. Ziegler has denied the allegation.
Why are state Republican parties in such financial bad shape, despite the party leading in the number of governors (26 to 24) and state legislators (4,023 to 3,269)?
The financial challenges are due in part to years of losses against Democrats, and in part because former donors have dropped the party over its embrace of debunked claims like former President Donald Trump still saying that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen.
What's on the line now, rather than the future of these state parties, is whether they will have the necessary funds for the 2024 election cycle.
In addition to financial issues, the Michigan state GOP recently descended into chaos and infighting after a vote to remove its chair, Kristina Karamo, a 2020 election denier and ally of Trump, who is the party's leading 2024 candidate.
Newsweek reached out to the state Republican parties of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan and Massachusetts by email on Monday for comment.