GOP governors group, led by Chris Christie, nets record sums of cash

The Republican Governors Association raised $26.6 million in the second quarter of 2014, leaving a record-high $70.3 million in the group's coffers as the GOP prepares for a number of expensive 2014 gubernatorial races.

The $26.6 million raised between April and June, announced Thursday, is the highest second-quarter haul in the group's history. In 2010, the last midterm election cycle, the group raised only $19 million during the same period, and it had only $40 million cash on hand by the end of June.

"This fundraising success has equipped the RGA with the resources it needs to aggressively defend its incumbent Republican governors and add to its majority this critical election year with 36 gubernatorial races," the group said in a press release.

The Democratic Governors Association has not yet disclosed its fundraising tally for the second quarter, but that group was significantly outpaced by its GOP counterpart during the first three months of 2014, netting only $12.5 million to the RGA's $23.5 million.

The strong fundraising should put a feather in the cap of the RGA's chairman, Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., who hailed the fundraising tally and projected confidence about the upcoming elections.

"The RGA has never been in such a strong financial position. It is a tribute to the sound policy, good governance and real results coming from states with Republican governors," Christie said. "Their bold leadership, combined with the RGA's significant resources, put us in strong position to win governors' races across the country this year."

Christie is considered a potential 2016 presidential contender, and he's proven before he can rake in the cash, but his future remains clouded by the scandal surrounding his administration's involvement in the George Washington Bridge traffic scandal.

Still, money talks: a few more fundraising quarters like this could go a long way to resuscitating Christie's viability as a national candidate.