This summer, a fired-up Kevin McCarthy vowed to personally lead the fight against California Democrats’ redistricting push, aiming to raise $100 million to help protect Republican lawmakers in his home state.
But in the final weeks of the high-stakes election, the former GOP speaker has fallen massively short of that mark, according to people familiar with the fundraising goal he set. That has required more direct involvement from both the White House and GOP leadership, those people said.
Republicans acknowledge that they always faced an uphill battle to defeat Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on the referendum, known as Proposition 50, in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by 4.5 million voters. But multiple Republicans told CNN that McCarthy and the groups involved in the campaign squandered a critical early window to craft a compelling message and raise the financial resources necessary to compete.
Now, even some senior House GOP leaders privately concede the measure is on track to pass, another Republican source said.
“I think it is an opportunity that is being wasted,” one House GOP lawmaker from California told CNN.
“A lot of people are frustrated … a lot of money could have gone into this,” the member said, noting that the fundraising is “nowhere near what normally happ
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