Seven Democratic Senate challengers outraised their Republican opponents in the first three months of 2016, five of whom are incumbent Senators. Voters across the country, angered by Republicans’ unprecedented obstruction of the Supreme Court, want a Democratic-controlled Senate, and these stellar fundraising numbers reflect that.
Wisconsin – Russ Feingold outraised incumbent Ron Johnson for the fourth straight quarter, this time by more than $1.2 million. Feingold has nearly $1 million more cash on hand than Johnson does.
Illinois – Tammy Duckworth raised an impressive $2.1 million, almost doubling Kirk’s fundraising over the same period. This is the third straight quarter Duckworth outraised the vulnerable Republican incumbent and she now has over $4 million cash on hand, compared to Kirk’s $3.3 million.
Missouri — Jason Kander had his best fundraising quarter yet, raising $1.31 million. He outraised incumbent Roy Blunt – the latest in a series of embarrassing developments for the Blunt campaign, which allowed its 2010 website BluntBrigade.com to lapse and has been mired in a series of questions about conflicts of interest, the truth behind Blunt’s draft record and his continued obstruction of the Supreme Court nomination.
North Carolina – Deborah Ross raised over $200,000 more than incumbent Senator Richard Burr in the quarter. Ross raised $1.3 million, her best fundraising quarter yet, to Burr’s $1.1 million and comes as Burr faces growing scrutiny for his defense of the discriminatory and bad-for-business state law, HB2.
Nevada – Catherine Cortez Masto outraised Joe Heck, raising more than $2 million, compared to Heck’s $1.66 million. It’s the second major disappointment of the quarter, following seasoned primary challenger Sharron Angle’s decision to challenge Heck for the GOP nomination.
Florida – Patrick Murphy raised a milestone $2 million in the first quarter of 2016, and now has $5.6 million on hand. He raised more than any of his opponents. Murphy’s strong fundraising leaves him with 14 times more cash on hand than his primary opponent and more money than any of the candidates running on the Republican side.
Kentucky – In his first quarter as a Senate candidate, Jim Gray outraised failed presidential candidate Rand Paul by $200,000. They now have roughly the same amount of cash on hand.
Many other Democratic candidates across the country posted strong fundraising quarters, coming close to or tying their Republican opponents.
New Hampshire – Maggie Hassan tied Republican incumbent Kelly Ayotte’s fundraising in the first quarter, raising $2.25 million. Hassan now has $2.9 million cash on hand.
Arizona – Ann Kirkpatrick nearly tied five-term incumbent and former Presidential candidate John McCain in fundraising. He raised just $200,000 more, showing just how vulnerable he is this year.
Ohio – Ted Strickland posted his best fundraising quarter yet, raising $1.5 million.
AND… The DSCC crushed the NRSC in first quarter fundraising by over $5.4 million. In March, the DSCC raised $8.2 million for the best on-year March in committee history.
“Seven Democrats outraised their Republican opponents in the first quarter, motivated by voters’ frustration with Republicans’ brand of political obstruction,” said Lauren Passalacqua, DSCC National Press Secretary. “Despite being in the minority, the DSCC has continued to outraise the NRSC, and Democratic candidates across the board reported outstanding fundraising. These fundraising numbers show what a strong position Democrats are in to win in November and take back the majority.”
