The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has secured a substantial loan in preparation for next year’s midterm elections, as the party struggles with leadership and has little to demonstrate for its government shutdown efforts. On Thursday, Politico reported on a filing the party mady with the Federal Election Commission concerning the $15 million loan.

“The national party committee framed the line of credit as an early investment to boost its candidates in New Jersey and Virginia earlier this month, and help build up state parties ahead of next year’s midterms. But the need for a loan still puts the DNC in sharp contrast with its GOP counterpart, the Republican National Committee, which was sitting on $86 million at the end of September,” the outlet said.

Politico noted the organization had taken out loans in the past, “although usually not this early in the cycle or of this magnitude all at once.”

The DNC reportedly spent over $15 million in 2025 to cover former Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign expenses. Harris and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), lost to President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. The additional expenditure came after Harris’ campaign blew through about $1.5 billion in donations.

By comparison, President Trump over the summer touted how well the Republican Party was doing in terms of finances and donations.

“The Republican Party is doing really well. Millions of people have joined us in our quest to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. We won every aspect of the Presidential Election and, based on the great success we are having, are poised to WIN BIG IN THE MIDTERMS,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“We have raised far more money than the Democrats, and are having a great time fixing all of the Country-Destroying mistakes made by the Biden Administration, and watching the USA heal and prosper,” the president added.

The fundraising shortfalls are also hitting individual Democrats.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s fundraising, for instance, has slowed to a near standstill, sparking fresh speculation that he could face a serious primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2026, Conservative Brief reported last month.

Federal Election Commission filings show the five-term New York Democrat raised just $133,000 during the last quarter — a sharp drop from his typical multi-million-dollar hauls and less than half of what he raised during the same period in his last election cycle, The New York Post reported.

The slowdown comes as Ocasio-Cortez, 36, raked in $4.5 million for her House reelection campaign during the same three-month period. The Bronx and Queens congresswoman has refused to rule out a Senate run — or even a future presidential bid — raising concerns inside Democratic circles that she may soon target Schumer directly.

Schumer’s campaign spent more than it raised from July through September, shelling out $322,000 while pulling in less than half that amount.

The 74-year-old lawmaker’s latest report shows just $133,000 in new receipts compared to the $337,000 he raised in the same period ahead of his 2022 race. By contrast, during the final quarter before that election, Schumer brought in nearly $6 million for his campaign and helped direct a record-breaking $119 million into the Senate Majority PAC.

While he still has $8.6 million cash on hand, that total trails Ocasio-Cortez’s reported $11.8 million — an unusual reversal for the longtime Senate leader known for his prolific fundraising operation.

“There’s a big political and financial upside to being bold and capturing energy, and in this moment that accrues to AOC, not Chuck Schumer,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “He cannot avoid noticing that AOC is the kind of person inspiring people and therefore getting fundraising benefit.”

Schumer’s decline in donations has raised eyebrows among Democratic strategists and donors who have long viewed him as one of the party’s most effective fundraisers. His past success has relied heavily on support from Wall Street, lawyers, and real estate interests — three industries that have historically powered his leadership PAC.