The fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal officers in Minneapolis have reportedly not only outraged key Democratic donors, but also spurred them on to give more, according to a new report.
Major Democratic fundraisers and donors told The Hill they have seen an increase in donations and expect it to continue. One told the outlet that the shootings were a “shot of cold reality” about the Trump administration.
John Morgan, a Democratic mega-donor and personal injury attorney, expected a surge for candidates facing electoral challenges in the 2026 midterm elections.
“I am predicting they won’t be able to spend all the money in the midterms,” he said.
Though actual donation numbers for the first quarter of 2026 won’t be available for months, Democratic operatives told the outlet they are already seeing an increase in donations from both big and small donors.
“Grassroots donations are starting to pick up, similar to how they did in Trump’s first term,” a Democratic source familiar with grassroots fundraising told The Hill. “So it wouldn’t be surprising that major donors start to come back online.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which fundraises for House Democrats, started 2025 with more than $24 million in its coffers and had reportedly nearly doubled that amount by the end of November, finishing the year with more than $46 million.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee started 2025 with more than $11 million and ended the year with approximately $19 million.
As of the end of 2025, the Democrats have more money in their House and Senate war chests than the Republicans.
The National Republican Congressional Committee started 2025 with more than $11 million and ended with more than $45 million. The National Republican Senatorial Committee started with just $3 million and ended the year with more than $16 million.
However, the Republican National Committee out-earned the Democratic National Committee. The Republicans started 2025 with more than $38 million and ended the year with almost $90 million. The Democrats actually lost money, starting the year with $22 million and ending with more than $12 million.
The DNC’s money problems reportedly started after the party’s brutal electoral losses in 2024, leaving some donors disillusioned with the party, Politico reported in August.
“Donors see the DNC as rudderless, off message and leaderless. Those are the buzzwords I keep hearing over and over again,” one Democratic donor adviser, speaking to Politico on condition of anonymity, said at the time.
But sitting on the sidelines has reportedly become untenable for some donors in the wake of the Minneapolis shootings.
“I think a lot of us take this seriously enough and realize that this is a net positive in the direction of fundraising,” a donor reportedly told The Hill. “When you see things this egregious, it’s going to change behavior, and certainly donor behavior and overall voting behavior.”
