Democrats running for Senate continued to grow their fundraising considerably in the third quarter of 2020, outraising vulnerable Republican incumbents and candidates in 14 GOP-held seats while smashing records — in many cases records previously set by their own campaigns — thanks to unprecedented support from small-dollar grassroots donors. The massive Q3 fundraising hauls are the latest indicator that Democrats are running smart and aggressive campaign operations in battlegrounds across the country with the resources to expand the map, increase our paths to the majority, and ensure the Senate flips in November.
Over the three-month period from July through September, Democratic Senate challengers outraised GOP incumbents and candidates in 14 races: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, both Georgia races, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. Strong Democratic incumbents like Senators Doug Jones in Alabama and Gary Peters in Michigan also outraised their Republican opponents.
“These record-shattering numbers, fueled by small-dollar donors giving at unprecedented levels, reflect the growing grassroots support for these Senate campaigns across the map in the final stretch,” said DSCC communications director Lauren Passalacqua. “While Mitch McConnell and Republicans block urgently needed coronavirus relief and continue their all-out assault on protections for pre-existing conditions during a pandemic, Democrats are raising the resources we need to take back the majority, protect our health care, and rebuild from this crisis.”
The eye-popping Q3 numbers follow a recent POLITICO report revealing just how panicked Washington Republicans have become about the “green tsunami” of Democratic fundraising as “the online fundraising edge that Democrats have enjoyed for years has mushroomed into an overpowering force.” Republican consultants are admitting that “the money is indicative [of] how much energy there is on their side, and the lack thereof on our side.” Majority Leader Mitch McConnell complained on a conference call with donors last week “that GOP incumbents were getting beaten financially across the board in every competitive race.”
Read more about Democrats’ grassroots fundraising dominance in Q3:
ALASKA – Dr. Al Gross raised an astounding $9 million – breaking Alaska records and raising more in one quarter than Senator Dan Sullivan has raised in the entire cycle. Gross outraised Sullivan by a nearly 7 to 1 margin and reported nearly double what Sullivan has in the bank.
ARIZONA – Retired NASA astronaut and Navy combat veteran Mark Kelly raised a record $38.7 million, outraising unelected Senator Martha McSally for the seventh straight quarter. The haul was made up of nearly 1 million contributions averaging about $40.
COLORADO – Former Governor John Hickenlooper raked in a whopping $22.6 million, more than four times what he raised in the last quarter and significantly outraising incumbent Senator Cory Gardner for the fourth quarter in a row. The eye-popping haul was made up of over 485,000 donors with 97% of the contributions under $200.
GEORGIA (Regular) – Jon Ossoff raised a record-breaking $21.3 million, the largest quarterly haul ever for a Georgia Senate candidate. Ossoff outraised Senator David Perdue for the second quarter in a row with an average contribution of $35.
GEORGIA (Special) – Reverend Raphael Warnock raised nearly $13 million – more than quadrupling his Q2 fundraising haul. Warnock outraised Congressman Doug Collins and unelected scandal-plagued Senator Kelly Loeffler combined this quarter and started October with a cash on hand advantage over both of his GOP opponents combined. Warnock has received more than 500,000 individual contributions since entering the race this year.
IOWA – Theresa Greenfield brought in a historic $28.7 million, raising more in a single quarter than any Senate candidate in Iowa has raised in an entire election cycle. Greenfield outraised Senator Joni Ernst four to one and ended the quarter with more than double Ernst’s cash on hand. Greenfield received contributions from Iowans in all 99 counties, and 95% of the contributions were $100 or less.
KANSAS – Dr. Barbara Bollier raised a record-shattering $13.5 million, outraising Congressman Roger Marshall by nearly $11 million and entering the final month with more than four times his cash on hand. Bollier’s haul was made up of over 350,000 contributions with an average contribution of $29.72.
KENTUCKY – Retired Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath raised $36.9 million, outraising the Majority Leader Mitch McConnell by a more than two to one margin. McGrath started October with a $6 million cash on hand advantage over the toxic and unpopular incumbent.
LOUISIANA – Shreveport mayor Adrian Perkins raised more than $1.3 million, nearly matching Senator Bill Cassidy’s total despite only entering the race in late July. Perkins has raised money faster than any first time Democratic Senate candidate in Louisiana history, with an average contribution of $43 from nearly 50,000 individual donations to date.
MAINE – House Speaker Sara Gideon raised $39.4 million, outraising Senator Susan Collins by $31 million, and building a massive cash on hand advantage for the final stretch.
MISSISSIPPI – Former Congressman and Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy raised $4 million –– more than five times as much as Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith.
MONTANA – Governor Steve Bullock raised a record $26.8 million, outraising Senator Steve Daines more than two to one for the third quarter in a row. Bullock’s campaign has received 40,000 contributions from Montanans this year.
NORTH CAROLINA – Army veteran Cal Cunningham raised a whopping $28.3 million, the most ever raised in a single quarter by any North Carolina candidate. Cunningham outraised Senator Thom Tillis by nearly $22 million — nearly four times as much as Tillis’ $6.6 million raised. In this quarter alone, Cunningham received donations from over 40,000 North Carolinians with 96% of all donations under $100.
SOUTH CAROLINA – Jaime Harrison raised a record-shattering $57 million –– more than any other Senate candidate in history — powered by an average donation of $37. Harrison outraised Senator Lindsey Graham for the third quarter in a row, this time by more than double.
TEXAS – Air Force veteran MJ Hegar raised an eye-popping $13.5 million, nearly double Senator John Cornyn’s haul and almost eight times more than what she raised in Q2 as she quickly erased the incumbent’s cash on hand advantage.
ALABAMA – Senator Doug Jones again outraised shady Tommy Tuberville by a wide margin, bringing in nearly $10.4 million to Tuberville’s $3.4 million, while continuing to hold a massive cash on hand advantage for the final weeks.
MICHIGAN – Senator Gary Peters had his strongest quarter to date with $14.6 million raised, outraising his Republican opponent and marking the largest quarterly haul for a Senate candidate in Michigan history. Those numbers were backed by a surge of grassroots support, with over $8 million raised online.
Headlines from the states:
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