Democrats Post Record-Breaking Q4 Numbers, Continue Strong Fundraising Momentum in Battle for the Senate

Democrats Outraised Republicans Last Quarter in Key States Including Colorado, Arizona, Maine, Alabama, Kansas

The DSCC “Raised a Record Amount of Money in 2019”

Democrats running for Senate continued to build fundraising momentum in the fourth quarter of 2019, outpacing Republicans and breaking fundraising records — in many cases, records they had set themselves earlier in the year. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also had its best-ever off-year fundraising after bringing in nearly $63 million, with more than 50% of the total raised in 2019 coming from grassroots donations online, on the phones, and in the mail.

Vulnerable Republican incumbents have seen their support continue to sink in recent months and remain out of step with their constituents on critical issues like health care. Meanwhile, Democrats’ across-the-board fundraising strength is the latest sign that they are running campaigns that resonate with voters, and that they will have the resources to compete and win in November.

“After years of voting with Mitch McConnell and against their constituents’ health care in Washington, it’s no surprise that vulnerable Republicans are getting outraised and losing support back home,” said DSCC spokesperson Stewart Boss. “As Democratic Senate candidates surge with grassroots donors and build out winning operations, our work to flip the Senate is going to continue to build momentum in 2020.”

Read more about Democrats’ historic fundraising strength heading into 2020:

POLITICO Pro: DSCC raised $7.3M in December, record $63M in 2019

• Senate Democrats’ campaign committee raised a record amount of money in 2019 as the party gears up to challenge for the Senate majority, according to details shared with POLITICO.

• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raised nearly $63 million last year — including $7.3 million in December — the most the committee has ever raised in an off year. The amount significantly exceeded the $54 million it raised in 2017, when they were overwhelmingly on defense protecting incumbents in states President Donald Trump carried in 2016.

• Several Democratic challengers, including in battleground races in Arizona and Maine, have also outraised Republican incumbents in recent quarters.

• Democrats also touted their small-dollar fundraising last year, hauling in more than $18.6 million in unitemized donations under $200. According to the committee, the number of online donations last year increased by more than 30 percent, compared to the same time frame in 2017.

CNN: “Senate tossups — Democratic candidates in some of the nation’s most competitive contests… outpaced the Republican incumbents they are trying to oust.”

National Journal: “Despite bringing in millions, Sens. Martha McSally (R-AZ) and Susan Collins (R-ME) both underperformed their DSCC-endorsed challengers.”

The Hill: “Democratic candidates running in the most competitive Senate contests around the country raised a combined $5 million more than their Republican counterparts…”

Here are more highlights from the states on Democrats’ record-breaking Q4 fundraising:

ARIZONA – Retired astronaut and combat veteran Mark Kelly raised a record $6.3 million last quarter, outraising unelected Senator Martha McSally for the fourth straight quarter. He now holds a $6 million cash-on-hand advantage.

• Associated Press: Kelly tops McSally in fundraising for Arizona Senate race

• KTAR News: Mark Kelly heads into election year with big cash lead over Sen. McSally

• KNXV: “Much of Kelly’s fundraising prowess is coming from donations that are ‘unitemized contributions,’ or donors that have given less than $200 to the campaign. He raised over $2.7 million in that category alone, more than double McSally.”

COLORADO – Former governor John Hickenlooper outraised Senator Cory Gardner, and reported contributions from each of the state’s 64 counties.

• Colorado Public Radio: “Former Gov. John Hickenlooper raised $2.8 million in the fourth quarter for his bid to challenge Republican Sen. Cory Gardner this fall… According to the campaign, the amount raised was the most in an off-year quarter for any U.S. Senate campaign in the state. Donations came from each of Colorado’s 64 counties, with 93 percent made up of small donations of $200 or less.”

• @JustinWingerter: “Sen. Gardner was outraised by @Hickenlooper last quarter…”

IOWA – Theresa Greenfield posted record-breaking off-year fundraising for a Senate challenger, outraising Senator Joni Ernst for the second half of the year, and in Q4 alone she tripled Ernst’s entire off-year fundraising haul from 2013.

• Mason City Globe Gazette: “Theresa Greenfield, a Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate, said she will report having raised $1.6 million during the most recent three-month federal fundraising period. The campaign claimed the figure is a state record for quarterly fundraising by a challenger in a non-election year.”

• Iowa Starting Line: “Greenfield’s campaign said it has received donations from nearly 3,000 Iowans in all 99 counties, bringing the total number of Iowa contributions to more than 9,000. Ninety-four percent of her total donations were $100 or less. Online donations averaged $17, the campaign said, and it did not accept corporate PAC money.”

KANSAS – State Senator Dr. Barbara Bollier raised more than $1 million in her first quarter in the U.S. Senate race, and outraised a Republican field stuck in a messy and crowded primary.

• Associated Press: “The leading Democratic candidate for the Senate in Kansas raised twice as much money in contributions during the last three months of 2019 as the top four Republicans combined, campaign finance reports showed Friday.”

• National Journal: “State Sen. Barbara Bollier (D) substantially led the Republican field in fundraising for the open seat in Kansas, bringing in more than $1 million.”

MAINE – House Speaker Sara Gideon outraised Senator Susan Collins by more than $1 million for the second quarter in a row, outpacing her own “record haul” from last quarter to bring in more than $3.5 million in Q4.

• Portland Press Herald: Collins raised $2.3 million in fourth quarter as Gideon narrowed gap

• Portland Press Herald: “Sara Gideon, the leading Democratic challenger to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, raised $3.5 million for her campaign in the final quarter of 2019. Gideon’s campaign said in a statement Tuesday that the donors included nearly 4,200 Mainers and that 95 percent of individual donations were $100 or less.”

NORTH CAROLINA – Decorated Army veteran Cal Cunningham closed out 2019 with a “big fundraising quarter,” raising $1.6 million in Q4 and $3.1 million for the cycle — the most ever for a Democratic challenger at this point in a North Carolina Senate race.

• Raleigh News & Observer: “Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham will report raising $1.6 million in the final three months of 2019, far outpacing what North Carolina’s last two Senate challengers raised in the same time period of their races… The Cunningham campaign said he has more than 7,000 North Carolina donors and that 93% of his fourth-quarter donations were less than $100.”

SOUTH CAROLINA – Former educator and South Carolina Democratic Party chair Jaime Harrison’s “small-donor army” powered him to another record-breaking fundraising quarter. He raised more than $3.5 million in the fourth quarter from more than 67,000 supporters, including contributions from each of South Carolina’s 46 counties.

• The State: Democrat Harrison touts another fundraising record in bid to unseat Lindsey Graham

• The Hill: “Harrison received donations from voters in each of South Carolina’s 46 counties, the campaign said. The $3.5 million was raised from more than 112,000 total contributions, with the average donation being about $27. Harrison is starting 2020 with more than $4.6 million cash on hand.”

TEXAS – Decorated veteran MJ Hegar raised $1.1 million for the third quarter in a row with an average online contribution of just $22 — the latest sign of her grassroots momentum in this race.

• Houston Chronicle: Democrat MJ Hegar raises another $1.1M, leading primary race for U.S. Senate – “Hegar’s campaign said she has received contributions from more than 29,000 donors, the majority coming from within Texas. Nine out of 10 donations were under $100 and the average online donation was $22. She’s also sworn off money from corporate PACs.”

Democratic incumbents also continued to show fundraising strength heading into 2020:

ALABAMA – Senator Doug Jones again outraised the entire Republican field, bringing in more than $1.9 million and reporting more than $5 million in cash on hand.

• Montgomery Advertiser: Doug Jones leads 4th quarter Alabama Senate fundraising

• Alabama Political Reporter: “The Doug Jones for Senate campaign reports a strong fourth quarter with over $1.9 million raised in the fourth quarter of 2019. He is leading all of his Republican rivals.”

• The Hill: “Jones hauled in $1.9 million, more than the three top Republicans who will fight it out for the right to face him in November. Jones has stockpiled a nearly $5.5 million war chest.”

MICHIGAN – Senator Gary Peters had his best quarter yet, raising more than $2.5 million in Q4 and reporting a record-breaking $8 million cash on hand.

• Michigan Advance: “The junior senator said he raised $2.51 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, running from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, his largest haul of the cycle. Peters has roughly $8 million in the bank and has raised more than $9.3 million since the start of 2019.”

• The Hill: “the incumbent held a substantial cash lead… Peters holds $2 million more than James.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE – Senator Jeanne Shaheen raised nearly $2 million in the fourth quarter and set an off-year record for her $7.7 million haul in 2019.

• WMUR: Shaheen raised more than $2M in fourth quarter, record $7.7M in all of 2019, for reelection bid

• New Hampshire Union Leader: “Sen. Jeanne Shaheen raised $7.7 million for her reelection bid in of 2019, according to her campaign. Of that, about $2 million came in the last three months of 2019. The state Democratic Party said $7.7 is the largest sum a Senate candidate has raised in an off-year”

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