Republicans Alarmed by Democratic Senate Hopefuls' Fundraising Haul

Republicans are sounding alarms after Democratic Senate candidates outraised their GOP opponents in the first six months of the year, a gulf driven largely by small-dollar online contributions. Democratic candidates in the 11 most competitive Senate races collectively raised $67.3 million in the second quarter of the year, $20.5 million more than their Republican counterparts, according to fundraising reports filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission. The total includes two Republicans who gave almost $6.5 million to their own campaigns. Democrats in those battleground states—which include Arizona and North Carolina—also raised more than Republicans in the first three months of the year.

The fundraising filings covering April to June also underscore Democrats’ advantage over the Republicans when it comes to donors giving small amounts online—a vital source of campaign cash since the coronavirus pandemic shut down most in-person fundraisers. Small donors are defined in FEC filings as those who contribute $200 or less. GOP strategists called the fundraising gap an urgent problem, as Senate Republicans facing re-election this year see their polling numbers dip in important battleground states. And they warn it could harm Republicans’ prospects in elections long after 2020.

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In Arizona, Democrat Mark Kelly outraised Republican Sen. Martha McSally in the second quarter, bringing in $12.8 million to her $9.3 million. With $24 million in his campaign coffers as of June 30, Mr. Kelly had a cash advantage of nearly $13 million over Ms. McSally. In North Carolina, Democrat Cal Cunningham had half as much cash on hand as Republican Sen. Thom Tillis at the end of March. But Mr. Cunningham’s strong small-dollar fundraising—which more than doubled Mr. Tillis’s in the second quarter—helped him close that gap almost entirely by the end of June, the filings show. Sara Gideon, the Democratic challenger to Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, raised $9.4 million to Ms. Collins’s $3.6 million in the second quarter. Ms. Gideon more than tripled what Ms. Collins raised from donors who gave $200 or less, the filings show.

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The presidential race is also seeing evidence of the Democratic fundraising surge. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign announced Thursday that it had narrowed President Trump’s cash advantage after outraising the president’s re-election effort for two straight months. Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon tweeted that the campaign and DNC had $242 million in cash on hand, compared to $295 million for the Trump campaign and the RNC. Three months ago, the president’s reelection bid had $187 million more cash on hand than Mr. Biden’s operation.

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The fundraising disparities and weak polling for Republicans in some battleground-state races have prompted GOP party committees and outside groups to spend more money than they anticipated in places they didn’t consider particularly competitive even a few months ago, according to advertising data and interviews.

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/republicans-alarmed-by-democratic-senate-hopefuls-fundraising-haul-11594904669 (subscription)