The National Rifle Association has largely pulled back from funding Republican candidates this election cycle as the organization deals with financial headaches and an FBI investigation into its ties to Russian officials.
The NRA has been a major donor to Republican candidates. The group poured $16 million to Republican candidates during the 2014 midterms, according to the Federal Election Commission, and a spent a whopping $54 million on Republicans in the 2016 cycle, with $32 million of that to elect President Donald Trump.[1][2]
McClatchy reports that the NRA has pledged just $1.6 million to Republicans this cycle, a mere 10 percent of its previous midterm spend. The report notes that the decline comes amid an FBI probe into whether the group illegally received Russian money to spend on the election.[3]
The FBI is looking at whether Alexander Torshin, a top official at Russia's central bank, funneled money to the group to help then-candidate Trump. A number of NRA officials have also been linked to Torshin's associate Maria Butina, who was indicted earlier this year for working as an agent of the Russian Federation. The NRA denied spending foreign cash on the election but admitted to accepting foreign donations for non-electoral campaigns, though the group has only admitted to receiving $2,513 in donations and membership dues from 23 Russian nationals since 2015.[4][5][6][7]
The report also notes a drop in dues since last year's school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the NRA has reported a $35 million decline in dues.[8]
“While the NRA doesn’t
