“Senate Democrats Outpace Republicans in Fund-Raising”  With “Record-Breaking” Amounts And “Cash Stockpiles” in Q2

Senate Democrats’ campaigns posted “record-breaking” “fund-raising hauls and cash stockpiles” during the second quarter. New reporting is highlighting how these fundraising numbers demonstrate “significant energy” surrounding “incumbent Democrats running for reelection in battleground states [who] raised millions.” 

Here’s what they’re saying: 

The New York Times: Senate Democrats Outpace Republicans in Fund-Raising in Key States
By Maya King and Rebecca Davis O’Brien
July 16, 2023

• [In] Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin — Democratic incumbents have raised more money than they previously have at this stage in earlier cycles, the latest campaign filings show.
  
  
• Incumbent Democratic senators also topped their prospective Republican challengers in fund-raising and will head into the fall with several million dollars in cash on hand.
  

• The Democrats’ relative financial strength in the second quarter of an off year suggests significant energy as the party aims to protect its slim majority next year.

• In their Senate re-election bids, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Jon Tester of Montana both brought in more than $5 million. Mr. Brown had $8.7 million in cash on hand, and Mr. Tester $10.5 million. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin raised $3.2 million, the most ever raised in a Wisconsin Senate contest in an off year, according to her campaign.

• Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia … raised $1.3 million over the last three months and has more than $10 million in the bank, expanding his cash advantage over Gov. Jim Justice and Representative Alex Mooney.

• In Pennsylvania, Senator Bob Casey posted his best fund-raising quarter to date, bringing in more than $4 million for his re-election bid.

• Democrats view this fund-raising as a crucial show of strength that will fortify their candidates ahead of a difficult 2024 cycle for the party.

• “Voters and grass-roots supporters are once again supporting battle-tested Senate Democratic candidates in record ways because they recognize the stakes of this election and the importance of stopping Republicans from implementing their toxic agenda,” said Tommy Garcia, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The Messenger: Senate Democrats Race To An Early Lead in 2024 Money Race 
By Matt Holt
July 16, 2023

• Senate Democrats… have raced out to an early but significant lead in fundraising, according to the latest campaign finance reports released this weekend. 

• Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Montana Sen. Jon Tester, and West Virginia Joe Manchin … have outraised their potential general election opponents. 

• The three men enter the second half of 2023 with an average of $9.9 million cash on hand, and given the furious pace of fundraising in modern elections, all three are likely to keep padding their campaign coffers.

• Republican Senate candidates in 2022 were vastly outraised by their Democratic counterparts, one of the factors that allowed Democrats to retain control of the upper chamber. So far, Democratic candidates have continued where they left off. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — was outraised by Rep. Colin Allred.  

• “Voters and grassroots supporters are once again supporting battle-tested Senate Democratic candidates in record ways because they recognize the stakes of this election and the importance of stopping Republicans from implementing their toxic agenda,” said Tommy Garcia, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

• In Ohio, Brown raised $5 million, spent $2.1 million, and entered July with $8.7 million cash on hand. Brown, seeking his fourth term in the Senate, outraised his Republican challengers and maintained the fundraising pace he set in the first quarter of the year. 
  
  
• In Montana, Tester matched his first-quarter haul and raised another $5 million. His campaign entered July with $10.5 million cash on hand. 

• And in West Virginia, Manchin outraised two of his potential opponents in the general election — Gov. Jim Justice and Rep. Alex Mooney. Manchin’s $1.7 million haul dwarfed Justice’s $936,000 haul and Mooney’s $550,000 raised between his campaign and joint fundraising committees. 

• Casey, a mainstay in Pennsylvania politics, raised $4 million and entered July with $6 million cash on hand.
  
  
• And in Wisconsin, Republicans failed to recruit Rep. Mike Gallagher to take on Baldwin, who raised $3.2 million. No candidates have yet to step forward and announced a bid. 

• Sen. Jacky Rosen, seeking reelection for the first time, raised $2.7 million and had close to $7.5 million cash on hand.

The Hill: Winners and losers from the second fundraising quarter
By Jared Gans
July 15, 2023

• The end of the second fundraising quarter marks a new glimpse into how campaigns are faring ahead of November’s high-stakes elections. Here are the winners and losers from the second fundraising quarter of 2023: Winners: […] Democrats in competitive Senate races
  
  
• Many Democrats running in what are expected to be competitive Senate races brought in millions of dollars in donations this quarter. 

• Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) are likely two of the most significant targets for the GOP, with both representing states that voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. But Tester raised $5 million, his best second-quarter fundraising total ever in a nonelection year, and Brown brought in the same. 

• Other incumbent Democrats running for reelection in battleground states raised millions.

• Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey received $4 million, the most in a fundraising quarter in his career, while Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin raised $3.2 million, the most in a Wisconsin Senate race in a nonelection year. 

• Democratic challengers trying to win a Senate seat for the first time also put up big numbers.

POLITICO
By Ally Mutnick
July 15, 2023

• Across the map, Senate Democrats could find a lot of things to celebrate from their candidates’ campaign finance reports.

• [Six] Democratic incumbents raised a collective $21.4 million, according to a POLITICO analysis of campaign finance data. … Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, brought in more than $5 million each and had banked $10.5 million and $8.7 million, respectively.

• Manchin, Tester, Brown, and Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) — had more than $5.5 million in cash on hand at the end of June. Collectively, they have nearly $50 million already banked.

• “Similar to last cycle, our incumbents outraised Republicans and had strong grassroots support in their states. And the same thing is happening this cycle,” said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the chair of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm.

Roll Call
By Herb Jackson
July 17, 2023

• Democratic incumbents in the Senate … continued to build warchests, some as they waited for Republicans to pick or even find a candidate. 

• Sen. Joe Manchin III, who is seen as the Democrats’ best chance to hold his West Virginia Senate seat had $10.8 million at the end of the quarter. … Manchin raised $1.3 million during the quarter.
  
• [In Ohio] Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown raised $5 million during the quarter and had $8.7 million in the bank. 

• Incumbent Senate Democrats who have built cash bankrolls while they wait to learn who will challenge them include Montana’s Jon Tester, who raised $5.1 million and had $10.5 million on hand; Nevada’s Jacky Rosen, who raised $2.7 million and had $7.5 million on hand; Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey, who raised $4 million and had $5.9 million on hand; … and Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin, who raised $3.3 million and had $5.5 million on hand.

Washington Examiner
By Cami Mondeaux
July 14, 2023

• As Democrats seek to defend their slim majority in the Senate, several … incumbents are hitting new strides as they continue to rake in large sums of cash — especially in a handful of swing states that may determine the makeup of the upper chamber.

• The [Democratic] incumbents are reporting strong fundraising numbers so far — giving hope to the party that it can hold on to the tight majority.

• Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) raised nearly $1.3 million during the second quarter, far surpassing any other contender for the West Virginia Senate seat. …Manchin now sits on a hefty war chest of $10.7 million in cash on hand, with his leadership Country Roads PAC reporting another $2.2 million.

• Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) also posted strong numbers during the second quarter after announcing a “record-breaking” haul of $5 million — marking the best second quarter fundraising total the Montana Democrat has seen in an off-election year, his office said. 

• [Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)] raked in more than $4 million during the second quarter, marking a record high for the incumbent.

• Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) raked in $5 million over the last three months, far outpacing his Republican challenger and marking another record for a second quarter haul in an Ohio Senate race. 

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