Democrats Crow About Fundraising       04/16 06:10

   

   (AP) -- Democrats are boasting of eye-popping fundraising hauls in some of 
this year's top Senate contests, a potential sign of voter enthusiasm in what 
remains an uphill quest to win the Senate majority.

   In the first three months of the year, Texas Democratic Senate candidate 
James Talarico's campaign said he brought in $27 million, while vulnerable 
incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia said he raised $14 million. Former North 
Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's campaign said he'll report $13.8 million and former 
Sen. Sherrod Brown will report $12.5 million in his comeback bid in Ohio.

   The money will help Democrats make their case to voters and counter 
Republican attacks, but it doesn't change the fundamental fact that control of 
the Senate will be decided in territory that favors Republicans. Except for 
Maine, where Democrats Graham Platner and Janet Mills are still battling for 
the party's nomination to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins, all of the 
top battleground races are in states President Donald Trump won in 2024.

   While Democrats touted their totals, they offer only a snapshot of overall 
fundraising, as campaigns had until the end of the day Wednesday to file with 
the Federal Election Commission.

   Republicans lagged

   In races where Republicans had reported their fundraising by Tuesday 
evening, Democrats were far outpacing them.

   In Texas, incumbent Sen. Jon Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton -- 
who are locked in a bitter runoff for the GOP nomination -- raised $2.5 million 
combined, less than 10% of Talarico's revenue for the quarter. Two of the three 
main Republicans in Georgia -- Derek Dooley and Buddy Carter -- combined for 
about $1.1 million. The third, Mike Collins, had not yet reported his 
fundraising as of Wednesday evening.

   Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley raised $2.1 
million in North Carolina and Sen. Jon Husted raised $2.9 million in Ohio.

   Collins, a top target for Democrats, raised $3.1 million in Maine. Mills, 
the governor who is preferred by much of the Democratic establishment, said 
she'll report raising $2.6 million, while Platner, an oyster farmer backed by 
progressive leaders including Sen. Bernie Sanders, said he raised $4 million.

   In Alaska, Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola said she'll report raising 
$8.9 million, compared with $1.7 million for Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

   Money isn't everything

   Republicans said flush coffers don't guarantee victory.

   Retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina pointed out that his 
opponent in 2020 also celebrated successful fundraising quarters but didn't win.

   Democrats Beto O'Rourke in 2018 in Texas and Jaime Harrison in 2020 in South 
Carolina shattered fundraising records and still lost to their Republican 
rivals.

   "We don't have to outraise them," Tillis said. "We just got to out run them."

   There's an imbalance in Republicans' favor at the national committee level. 
The Republican National Committee reported roughly $109 million cash on hand in 
its most recent FEC filing, compared with roughly $16 million for their 
Democratic counterpart, plus Democrats are carrying about $17 million in debt.

   Waiting in the wings for Republicans is a super political action committee 
tied to Trump -- MAGA Inc. -- which has more than $300 million cash on hand, 
according to the FEC.

   The rosy first-quarter contributions carry some advantages for Democrats, 
namely the ability to buy limited advertising slots ahead of the election to 
get on the air early and make an impression with voters. Candidates also get 
favorable rates for television ads so their money goes further than independent 
expenditures by outside groups, though that advantage is eroding as ad spending 
increasingly shifts toward digital streaming.

   "Winning in Texas will require unprecedented resources," Talarico campaign 
manager Seth Krasne said in a statement. "This grassroots fundraising haul puts 
our movement in a strong position to spread our message in some of the most 
expensive media markets in the country."

   Talarico will face the winner of the GOP runoff on May 26 between Cornyn and 
Paxton.