Democrats Show Fundraising Energy in Key Senate Races

In their bids to unseat Republican incumbents, some Democratic candidates reported dollar figures that were millions more than what their opponents received. Amy McGrath, McConnell’s challenger in Kentucky, reported raising over $5 million more than the majority leader did, while Mark Kelly, the Democratic candidate in Arizona, reported raising over $4.5 million more than the Republican incumbent, Sen. Martha McSally.

While the Democrats running in reliably red states like Kentucky and Kansas may be betting on long odds, the party has won upset victories in those states in recent years, helping to fuel the hopes of candidates and donors alike.

Overall, many of the Republican candidates still reported having more cash on hand as the races heat up, although the accelerated pace of fundraising for the Democrats in 2020 suggested new dynamics in some down-ballot races now that the presidential primary campaign has ended.

— Kentucky

McGrath, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel, took in $12.8 million in the first quarter of the year — $5.4 million more than McConnell did. That amount represented roughly 40% of what McGrath has raised since entering the race last summer.

The two candidates indicated in the federal filings this week that they had roughly equivalent amounts of cash on hand, with McConnell reporting stores of $15 million and McGrath reporting $14.8 million.

McGrath, who received more than twice as much as McConnell in individual contributions in the first quarter, has been backed by Democrats in Kentucky and beyond who loathe McConnell’s record in the Senate — especially his central place in helping the Trump administration reshape the federal courts — and are eager to oust him.

— South Carolina

In South Carolina, Graham’s Democratic challenger, Jaime Harrison, a former chairman of the state Democratic Party who has also worked as a lobbyist in Washington, raised $7.4 million in the first quarter, nearly 30% more than the $5.7 million Graham did.

That $7.4 million made up roughly half of what Harrison has raised since he entered the race last May seeking to be the first Democrat elected in a statewide race in South Carolina since 2006. Graham’s campaign has a sizable $12.8 million on hand, compared with Harrison’s $8 million.

Graham too, has played an instrumental role in the Trump administration’s judicial confirmations as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. As he has positioned himself more closely to President Donald Trump, he has lost his maverick sheen in the eyes of some Democrats.

— Kansas

Barbara Bollier — a Democratic state senator running for the seat that will be vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Pat Roberts — drew more than $2.3 million in the first three months of the year, compared with the roughly $240,000 received by her likely Republican opponent, Kris Kobach, the former Kansas secretary of state and one of the Republican contenders, and the roughly $375,000 received by Roger Marshall, another Republican candidate.

Bollier, who is hoping to be the first Democrat elected to represent Kansas in the U.S. Senate in more than eight decades, reported $2.4 million in cash on hand, while Kobach’s campaign reported having roughly $300,000. Although there was speculation that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a former congressman from Kansas, would run for the seat, he told McConnell early this year that he had decided against it.

— Maine

Sara Gideon, the Democratic speaker of the Maine House, raised $7.1 million in the first quarter, roughly three times as much as the incumbent Republican senator, Susan Collins, who has come under particular pressure for her vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018.

As her fight to keep her seat continues, Collins, who has spent more than 20 years in the Senate, has $1 million more on hand than her opponent — $5.6 million, compared with Gideon’s $4.6 million, according to the filings.

— Colorado

John Hickenlooper, a Democratic former governor of the state, raised $4.1 million in the first quarter, compared with the roughly $2.5 million raised by the Republican incumbent, Sen. Cory Gardner. Hickenlooper reported having about half as much cash on hand as Gardner’s $9.6 million.

— Arizona

Kelly, a Democrat seeking to oust the Republican incumbent, McSally, took in $11 million in the first quarter, roughly $4.6 million more than McSally. McSally, who was appointed to John McCain’s former seat by Gov. Doug Ducey in 2018, has been a staunch supporter of Trump.

Kelly, a former astronaut who is married to former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, has deep cash reserves on which to draw: In this week’s filing, he reported having $19.7 million on hand, compared with McSally’s $10.3 million.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times .