Democrats and liberals — traditionally more skeptical about the role of big money and mega-donors in politics — beat Republicans in the outside money battle for the first half of the year.
Groups backing Democratic candidates and causes in 2014 and 2016 all posted robust fundraising numbers, as did organizations supporting President Barack Obama’s top second-term priorities, according to a POLITICO review of campaign finance reports filed Wednesday. Conservative groups — accustomed to dominating the outside money game — underperformed expectations with lackluster hauls.