Democratic Challengers Outraise Vulnerable Republicans in Battlegrounds Across the Country in Q1 as Momentum to Flip Senate Continues to Grow

10 Democratic Challengers Led Republicans in GOP-Held Seats Last Quarter

DSCC Announces Nearly $11 Million Raised in March, Best-Ever Election Year Q1 in Committee History – More Than 50% From Grassroots Donations

Democrats running for
Senate continued to build fundraising
momentum in the first quarter of
2020, outraising vulnerable Republican incumbents and candidates
in 10 GOP-held seats while making big cash on hand gains and
breaking more fundraising records. The latest slew of impressive fundraising
reports — across a Senate map that keeps
shifting against
Republicans — is the latest sign
that Democratic candidates are running strong campaigns that will have the
necessary resources to compete and win in November.

Over the first three
months of the year, Democratic challengers outraised Republican incumbents or
GOP fields in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine,
Montana, North Carolina and South Carolina. Democratic candidates in top
battleground races like Iowa also set new records, while Democratic incumbents
continued to stockpile resources for the general election.

The DSCC also had its best-ever Q1 fundraising haul with more than $28 million raised, after bringing in nearly $11 million in March and outraising the NRSC for the month. More than half of the DSCC’s fundraising came in from grassroots donations online, on the phones, and in the mail last quarter.

“As Democratic
candidates focus on serving their states and communities at this time,
unprecedented grassroots support is fueling their campaigns and our path to
flipping the Senate continues to expand,” said DSCC spokesperson Stewart
Boss.

Read more about
Democrats’ latest show of fundraising strength in Q1:

ALASKA – Dr. Al Gross raised $1 million again last quarter and will report
over $2 million in cash on hand, outraising incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan for the second
time this cycle.

• Anchorage Press: “Q1 was another
  fundraising success for the Gross campaign, which reports a third straight
  quarter of at least $1 million raised, giving the campaign $2 million cash
  on hand”

ARIZONA – Retired NASA astronaut and combat veteran Mark Kelly raised a record $11 million in Q1, outraising unelected Senator Martha McSally for the fifth straight quarter in a row. Kelly now holds a $9.5 million cash-on-hand advantage, nearly double what McSally has in the bank.

• KTAR: Mark Kelly nearly doubles Sen.
  Martha McSally in 1st-quarter fundraising
• Arizona Republic: “Democrat Mark Kelly
  widened his campaign cash lead over Republican Sen. Martha McSally.”
• Arizona Daily Star: Mark Kelly widens
  fundraising lead over Martha McSally in big-dollar Senate race
• POLITICO Pro: “Kelly’s campaign said he
  had more than 300,000 contributors since his campaign launched last year,
  with an average donation of $43.”

COLORADO – Former governor John Hickenlooper outraised
Senator Cory Gardner for the second quarter in a row — raising nearly $4.1
million in Q1, about $1.6 million more than Gardner, and bringing his cash on
hand to nearly $5 million. More than 94% of contributions were under $200, and
the average grassroots donation was $24.

• Colorado Politics: “Democratic U.S.
  Senate candidate John Hickenlooper hauled in nearly $4.1 million in the
  year’s first quarter, outraising U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner by a wide margin”

GEORGIA – In the two months after joining the race, Reverend Raphael Warnock raised $1.5 million, outraising both unelected Senator Kelly Loeffler and Congressman Doug Collins in total contributions. Warnock drew support from more than 30,000 donors — with 95% of donations under $100.

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Jolt:
  Raphael Warnock outraises Kelly Loeffler, Doug Collins in U.S. Senate
  contest

IOWA – After outraising Senator Joni Ernst for the second
half of 2019, businesswoman Theresa
Greenfield continued to grow her fundraising operation with an impressive $2.2
million raised in Q1.

• @libmeyer: “New today in #IASen fundraising:
  Theresa Greenfield (@GreenfieldIowa) raised more than $2.25 million in Q1
  of 2020, the largest haul ever for an Iowa U.S. Senate challenger in the
  first quarter of an election year.”

KANSAS – Dr. Barbara Bollier raised more than $2.3
million last quarter, once again outraising a fractured Republican field that’s
been stuck in a messy and increasingly crowded primary.

• Kansas City Star: “The Mission Hills
  Democrat…more than doubled her fundraising in the fourth quarter of
  2019, when she collected $1.17 million. It puts her six-month take at
  roughly $3.5 million. Bollier’s strong showing will likely fuel national
  Republicans’ anxieties about the race to replace retiring GOP Sen. Pat
  Roberts.”

KENTUCKY – Retired Marine Lt. Col. Amy McGrath raised $12.8 million last quarter, outraising the unpopular Majority Leader by more than $5 million. McGrath has already caught up to McConnell’s cash on hand, while forcing his Super PAC to reserve nearly $11 million in the state for fall TV ads at the expense of other vulnerable GOP incumbents.

• Associated Press: McGrath outpaces
  McConnell in fundraising for Kentucky race
• Open Secrets: McConnell falls behind in
  the money race as small donors flock to McGrath
• Louisville Courier Journal: “McGrath
  busted McConnell’s bubble when her campaign told The Courier Journal the
  retired Marine fighter pilot raised a whopping $12.8 million during the
  same period.”

MAINE – House Speaker Sara Gideon outraised Senator
Susan Collins for the third quarter in a row, this time by about $4.5 million,
and again outpaced her own “record haul” from the previous quarter to bring in
more than $7 million in Q1.

• Bangor Daily News: Sara Gideon leapfrogs
  Susan Collins in fundraising ahead of 2020 US Senate race
• Portland Press Herald: Gideon leads
  Collins in fundraising for Senate race after $7.1 million haul this
  quarter
• WMTW: Gideon out-raises Collins in Senate
  fundraising

MONTANA – Governor Steve Bullock raised $3.3 million in
just three weeks — $2 million-edge over Senator Steve Daines who brought in
$1.3 million over three months. .

• KTVH: “Gov. Steve Bullock, who launched
  his bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines last month, raised
  $3.3 million in campaign funds in the first three weeks of his candidacy,
  his campaign reported Wednesday.”

NORTH CAROLINA – Decorated Army veteran Cal Cunningham raised
$4.4 million in Q1, outraising Tillis by nearly $2.3 million — more than
double — last quarter.

• Roll Call: Tillis challenger Cunningham
  raises nearly $4.4M in first quarter — “The Cunningham campaign said 97%
  of its donations have come in increments of less than $200… Cunningham campaign
  manager Devan Barber said in an email that ‘the first quarter saw a major
  increase in North Carolina grassroots donors looking to get involved.’”

SOUTH CAROLINA – Former educator and South Carolina Democratic
Party chair Jaime Harrison’s “small-donor army” helped him have another
record-breaking quarter and outraise incumbent Senator Lindsey Graham by about
$1.7 million. Harrison raised more than $7.3 million in Q1 and has more than $8
million in cash on hand.

• Charleston Post and Courier: Lindsey
  Graham outraised by Democrat Jaime Harrison in SC’s record-setting Senate
  race
• The Hill: Democratic challenger outraises
  Graham in South Carolina Senate race

TEXAS – Decorated combat veteran MJ Hegar raised over
$1.6 million in Q1 — her strongest quarter to date and the latest sign of her
increasing momentum in this race as she gears up to challenge Senator John
Cornyn. In total, MJ’s campaign has received donations from over 42,000
individuals, including from nearly 200 counties across Texas.

• Dallas Morning News: “Democratic Senate
  hopeful MJ Hegar raised $1.6 million for the first quarter of 2020,
  putting her in a strong position in the July runoff… According to her
  campaign the average online donation is $23.”

NEW MEXICO – Congressman Ben Ray Luján raised more than $1.2
million last quarter, the fourth quarter in a row that he has raised more than
$1 million for his Senate campaign, and once again outraised the Republican
field.

• Albuquerque Journal: “Democratic
  Congressman Ben Ray Luján had his biggest fundraising quarter since
  announcing his bid for the U.S. Senate a year ago… His average donation
  was $30, according to his campaign, with the average online donation being
  $18.”

ALABAMA – Senator Doug Jones again outraised the entire
Republican field combined in Q1, bringing in $4.2 million and reporting $8.3
million in cash on hand while far outpacing Tommy Tuberville and former Attorney
General Jeff Sessions.

• POLITICO Pro: “Democratic Sen. Doug Jones
  holds a massive financial advantage” and “a significant edge over the two
  Republicans facing off in the primary runoff”

MICHIGAN – Senator Gary Peters had his strongest quarter
to date, raising more than $4 million in Q1 — the largest quarterly haul for
any Democratic candidate running for U.S. Senate in Michigan history.

• @PolarBarrett: “@GaryPeters campaign
  reports $4 million raised in the first quarter of 2020, touted as the
  largest haul of any Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan’s
  history. Campaign says 94% of donations were $100 or less. Also reported
  60% increase in new donors.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE – Senator Jeanne Shaheen outraised the
underwhelming GOP field again in Q1, raising more than $2 million and posting
$7.1 million in cash on hand.

• WMUR: “According to the Shaheen campaign,
  the average first quarter contribution was $51, and 95% of the
  contributions were $100 or less. Nearly 20,000 individuals contributed in
  the quarter.”

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