Raphael Warnock, left, and Jon Ossoff greet a driver at a Christmas Eve food feast in Atlanta, Georgia.
Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage / Bloomberg
Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage / Bloomberg
Georgian Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock have each brought in more than $ 100 million in campaign contributions in the past two months, nearly doubling the Senate fundraising record and far surpassing their Republican rivals, according to their latest Federal Election documents. Commission.
Ossoff and Warnock both face high stakes races against incumbent Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. If the Democrats succeed in firing their opponents in the second round on Jan. 5, the Senate will be split 50-50 and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris can break all votes in favor of the Democrats.
In the latest reporting period, which runs from October 15 to December 16, Ossoff raised $ 106.8 million, while Warnock raised $ 103.4 million. Both shattered the previous $ 57.9 million fundraising record for a senatorial candidate set by Democrat Jaime Harrison in the third quarter of 2020 in his unsuccessful attempt to fire Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
Perdue, who faces Ossoff, raised $ 68.1 million and ended with $ 16 million in cash. Loeffler, who is against Warnock, filed her report on Wednesday. She raised $ 64 million and had $ 21.3 million in the bank towards the final weeks of the campaign. Combined, the Democrats have fooled Republican incumbents with $ 78.1 million.
The two games in Georgia have sparked national interest, with some donors writing seven-figure checks to super-PACs and online donors pumping money into the candidates’ coffers.
The candidate applications include both the money raised for the general election and the second round.
Senator Kelly Loeffler, center, speaks at a “African Americans for Kelly” press conference in Marietta, Georgia on Dec. 23.
Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage / Bloomberg
Ossoff spent $ 93.5 million and had $ 17.5 million in cash on the way to the final piece. According to data from AdImpact, he is the largest media executive in his race against Perdue, racking up $ 47.5 million for television, radio and digital advertising since the November 3 to December 16 elections.
Warnock had $ 22.8 million in cash on hand after spending $ 86.1 million. He’s posted $ 41.2 million in media time since the election through December 16, compared to $ 27.5 million for Loeffler.
Grassroots donors, who contributed less than $ 200, gave Ossoff $ 49.6 million. It’s not the first time that small dollar backers have put donations into his treasury. In 2017, he raised $ 19.1 million from them and $ 30 million in total, while running unsuccessfully in a special election in Georgia’s 6th congressional district. Although Ossoff lost, the match was the first demonstration of the enthusiasm of Democratic donors during President Donald Trump’s presidency.
Warnock raised $ 50.5 million from grassroots donors.
In the general election, Perdue Ossoff led with 49.7% to 48%. The Loeffler-Warnock race was a special ‘jungle primary’ to fill the seat vacated by Johnny Isakson. Warnock led 32.9% to Loeffler’s 25.9%. Republican Doug Collins came third with 20%.
President-elect Joe Biden won Georgia by 12,670 votes, giving Democrats some confidence that they can take at least one seat in the Senate for the first time since 2005. Both Trump and Biden have campaigned in the state.
Some super PACs active in the run-offs also filed reports of their activity between November 24 and December 16. The Lincoln Project, founded by former Republican agents who oppose Trump and now support the Democrats, raised $ 4.8 million, spent $ 7.5 million, and had $ 5.4 million in cash on hand.
On the Republican side, ESAFund raised $ 5.1 million. Marlene Ricketts, wife of billionaire Joe Ricketts, gave $ 1.9 million, while Citadel founder Kenneth Griffin, hedge fund manager Paul Singer and Charles Schwab, founder of Charles Schwab Corp., gave $ 1 million each. The super PAC spent $ 1.4 million, including a $ 250,000 donation to Gun Owners Action Fund, and had $ 3.7 million in cash. Georgia United Victory, which backs Loeffler, raised $ 2.8 million, spent $ 3.4 million, and had $ 411,236 in the bank.
Some of the smaller super PACs had big name donors. Keep America America Action Fund received $ 600,000 from Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus, just under two-thirds of the $ 902,170 it raised between November 24 and December 16. Singer and Schwab each gave $ 250,000 to America Patriots PAC. Both groups supported the Republicans.