No surprise: State parties looking past RNC for campaign cash

“I understood that the lack of resources from the RNC was going to have a severe impact on what the parties were going to be able to do,” said Tom Whatman, a former Ohio state party executive director and an adviser to the new organization.

The anxiety among state leaders has only heightened as the party’s prospects in the fall improved, including a decent shot at retaking control of the House. Party insiders want to make sure no opportunity is lost because of a lack of resources.

Their challenge is compounded by time. The RNC’s financial weakness was apparent in the spring, but the dire nature of it only became evident last month when the committee’s July financial disclosure report showed the longstanding fundraising giant had just $5 million in cash and $2 million in debts.