Republicans Who Voted to Impeach Trump Are Out-Raising Their Trump-Backed Opponents

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Former President Donald Trump has sworn vengeance upon the Republicans who dared to vote against him during his impeachment trials, but so far, these members of Congress have all beat their Trump-backed primary opponents in campaign fundraising.

The information sure to infuriate the former president comes from NBC News’ review of the latest Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings from the various congressional campaigns.

The most notable name on the list was also the most prolific fundraiser. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) not only voted to impeach Trump, she’s also one of two Republicans serving on the House Select Committee investigating Jan. 6. Cheney raised over $1.97 million during the final quarter of 2021, part of an impressive yearly haul of nearly $6.5 million.

Cheney’s challenger, Harriet Hageman, publicly rebuked Trump and endorsed Cheney for re-election in April 2016, but changed her tune enough recently to get his endorsement. So far, the Trumpian stamp of approval hasn’t resulted in a financial windfall. Hageman trails far behind the incumbent Cheney, bringing in about $443,000 in the 4th Q, out of a total of slightly more than $745,000 since she entered the race in Sept. 2021.

NBC News noted the money gap in the other races where Trump had endorsed Republicans to take out the House members who voted to impeach him or the Senators who voted to convict:

Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., brought in eight times what his Trump-endorsed primary challenger secured last quarter, while Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., raised more than five times what Trump-backed state Rep. Steve Carra brought in from October through December. And in Washington state, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler out-raised her Trump-backed opponent, Joe Kent, bringing in about $422,000 compared to his roughly $297,000 during that same period.

The cash-on-hand disparity further highlights the uphill battle Trump’s chosen crew have to take out well-funded incumbents.

For example, Cheney had over $4.7 million at the end of the year and Hageman has spent almost half of what she’s raised, leaving her with about $381,000. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) still had the vast majority of last year’s $5.4 million haul, ringing in the New Year with nearly $4.3 million in the bank and no debt. Her Trump-backed challenger Kelly Tshibaka raised $1.82 million and ended the year with less than $634,000 and nearly $73,000 in debt.