RNC closes out best-ever non-presidential year with record numbers for December

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EXCLUSIVE: The Republican National Committee reported its best-ever non-presidential year on Thursday -- the latest signal that the party is outpacing Democrats as they race towards the 2020 elections and battle over impeachment.

Data provided to Fox News showed that Republicans collected $26.5 million in December, a record for the month and a roughly $6 million increase from November. While the party has repeatedly surpassed fundraising records under Trump, December's numbers indicated that Republican donor enthusiasm was undeterred by Democrats pushing an impeachment inquiry.

“Americans are investing in a party and a president that are fighting for them," RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement to Fox News.

In total, the RNC and Trump's fundraising committees brought in nearly a half-billion dollars ($463.6 million) in 2019, with $194.8 million cash-on-hand. The RNC itself raised $241.1 million, which officials said is a record for a non-presidential election year.

"They are tuning out the Democrats’ politically motivated impeachment charade and turning out for the president and his record of results," McDaniel said of donors. "On November 3rd, voters will choose to continue on this path of American greatness by re-electing President Trump and voting for Republicans up and down the ballot.”

REPUBLICAN PARTY SETS FUNDRAISING RECORD AMID IMPEACHMENT BATTLE

Democrats voted along party lines to approve articles of impeachment around the middle of the month, Dec. 18. According to the RNC, 72 percent of its December online donations were raised since that day.

In November, for example, the party reported a record $20.6 million for the month and claimed it had the largest cash on hand amount since its 2012 pre-election report. Between November and December, the party increased its cash on hand from $63.2 million to $72 million for the 2020 election cycle.

Those figures, along with its $0 in debt, offered a stark contrast to Democrats' $6.5 million in debt that the party reported in November.

As of the end of that month, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) raised $83.6 million, about $20 million above what the RNC raised ($63.2 million) in just the month of November. For comparison, the RNC banked $214.6 million by that point in the year.

The GOP fundraising numbers underscored how Republicans have sought to turn the impeachment fight to their advantage, tapping into an outraged base to fuel not only the president's 2020 re-election effort but also a political offensive against congressional Democrats.

At the end of last year, the party announced its "Stop the Madness" campaign which targets Senate Democrats in key states like New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Colorado.

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Not only has fundraising reached record highs, the RNC has built out its largest field and data operation in history. That included the "Trump Victory" initiative which recently knocked on its one-millionth door.

That, along with a charged Democratic base, indicated an especially charged political environment going into 2020. The Democratic frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden, raised $22.7 million in the fourth quarter, putting him neck and neck with Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg's numbers ($24.7 million). By contrast, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., raked in $34.5 million -- substantially higher than his progressive counterpart, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. ($21.2 million).

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.