Democrats' House campaign arm raises close to $9M in first half of October, spends almost $27M

House Democrats' campaign arm spent nearly $1.8 million a day on average during the first half of this month.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said it raised $8.8 million between Oct. 1 and Oct. 15. The committee began October with $34 million in the bank but has been spending aggressively, leaving it with $16 million for the final three weeks before Election Day.

Most political committees faced a Thursday deadline to file their final reports before voters go to the polls Nov. 4. The 15-day reports were the last look at the committees' financial strength heading into the final stretch of a campaign that's expected to pass the $4 billion mark overall.

The National Republican Congressional Committee was expected to release its summary later Thursday.

Combined, the Democratic Congressional Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee have now raised more than a quarter-billion dollars — at least $297 million — and have spent $248 million.

Democrats have consistently outraised the GOP. Since January 2013, House Republicans' campaign committee has been raising about 80 cents for every $1 the Democrats have.

If it needs it, the NRCC has secured a $20 million line of credit.

Despite a fundraising advantage, Democrats face tough odds for denying Republicans their majority. Only a handful of races are seen as competitive because once-a-decade redistricting favors Republicans, and President Barack Obama remains deeply unpopular in many House districts.

Republicans hold 233 seats and Democrats have 199 in the current Congress. There are three vacancies.

___

Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott