Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) raised $44 million in 2017, a record for any House leader in a non-election year.
Ryan raised raised $6.7 million in the third quarter, and $4.8 million in the last quarter of 2017, Politico reports.
$32 million was transferred by Ryan to the National Republican Congressional Committee. The NRCC also did very well in 2017 on its own, bringing in a non-election year record of $85 million.
Ryan also hosted 49 fundraisers for Republican members and transferred $1.7 million to their campaigns.
Congressional Republicans may be in need of significant campaign funds as they face Democrats in increasingly competitive districts across the country. The retirements of nearly two dozen GOP representatives, including California Reps. Ed Royce and Darrell Issa, will require Republicans spend more heavily to defend the open seats.
The executive director of Team Ryan, Kevin Seifert, said the amount Ryan pulled in for the Republican Party was a sign of how well House Republicans did in 2017.
"This eye-popping number is a testament to Speaker Ryan, House Republicans, and the agenda that they led the fight on in 2017," Seifert said.
