Ditch Mitch

2020 campaign funding favoring Dems

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) outraised Sen. Cory Gardner (R) in the latest quarter in Colorado's high-profile Senate race.

Hickenlooper, who launched his senate campaign after dropping out of the White House race, raised more than $4 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared with about $2.4 million for Gardner, according to new filings with the Federal Election Commission. However, Hickenlooper has only about $4.9 million in the bank, while Gardner has $9.6 million cash on hand.

Hickenlooper announced his Senate campaign against Gardner in August after lackluster polling forced him out of the presidential race. He had previously ruled out a Senate run but was heavily courted by establishment Democrats who are eager to unseat Gardner.

The former governor will have to face off against a host of other Democrats in Colorado’s primary scheduled for June but has the backing of the party’s Senate campaign arm and is the favorite to win.

  The Hill

And, two big ones:

Democratic Senate candidate Jamie Harrison outpaced Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) in fundraising during the first three months of 2020, marking the first time the Democrat has done so this election cycle.

Harrison raised more than $7.3 million in the first quarter of the year, dwarfing the $3.5 million he raised in the fourth quarter of 2019 and setting a new South Carolina record for fundraising in a three-month period, his campaign said.

Graham's campaign also surpassed previous fundraising highs and raised $5.6 million, bringing the senator's total cash on hand to $12.8 million. The total represents the most a state or federal candidate has ever raised in South Carolina history, his campaign said. Harrison has a little more than $8 million on hand.

  The Hill

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's Democratic opponent Amy McGrath outraised the longtime Republican senator in the first quarter of 2020 as Kentucky’s Senate race emerges as one of the most expensive battles of the election cycle.

McGrath, who has received a litany of endorsements from national Democratic figures, reported raising $12.8 million in the first three months of 2020 and ended the period with $14.7 million cash on hand. McConnell hauled in $7.5 million and finished the first quarter of the year with $14.9 million in the bank in his bid for a seventh Senate term.

[...]

McGrath’s haul is a gargantuan total for any Senate candidate, particularly a nonincumbent, and follows several other strong quarters. Though the Kentucky Democrat still has to win a primary race against state Rep. Charles Booker and Lincoln county farmer Mike Broihier, she is still the heavy favorite to win the Democratic nomination and face off against McConnell in November.

  The Hill

Ditch Mitch

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's Democratic opponent Amy McGrath outraised the longtime Republican senator in the first quarter of 2020 as Kentucky’s Senate race emerges as one of the most expensive battles of the election cycle.

McGrath, who has received a litany of endorsements from national Democratic figures, reported raising $12.8 million in the first three months of 2020 and ended the period with $14.7 million cash on hand. McConnell hauled in $7.5 million and finished the first quarter of the year with $14.9 million in the bank in his bid for a seventh Senate term.

Both contenders leaned heavily on small-dollar donors — the average donation to McGrath amounted to $37, and the average contribution to McConnell totaled $33.

McGrath’s haul is a gargantuan total for any Senate candidate, particularly a nonincumbent, and follows several other strong quarters. Though the Kentucky Democrat still has to win a primary race against state Rep. Charles Booker and Lincoln county farmer Mike Broihier, she is still the heavy favorite to win the Democratic nomination and face off against McConnell in November.

[...]

McConnell’s campaign expressed confidence that Kentuckians would reelect him, saying voters want for a steady hand in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and citing his work to pass a $2.2 trillion relief package.

  The Hill

Ditch Mitch, Kentucky. Bring back democracy.

Ditch Mitch

Amy McGrath, a Democrat and former Marine fighter pilot, has officially filed to challenge Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky’s 2020 US Senate election.

In the 2018 midterm elections, McGrath narrowly lost to Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) to represent the state’s 6th Congressional District. During her first months on the campaign trail before officially establishing her candidacy, McGrath outraised McConnell and other Democrats by bringing in nearly $11 million.

In 2016, Trump carried Kentucky by nearly 30 points. But last month, Gov. Matt Bevin, the nation’s “Trumpiest governor,” lost his reelection bid to Democrat Andy Beshear, after President Donald Trump campaigned for Bevin and said a loss for the unpopular incumbent would send “a really bad message.” The president pleaded, “You can’t let that happen to me!”

  Mother Jones

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Ditch Mitch

While Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao strongly denies showing any favoritism to the state represented by her husband, Mitch McConnell, his Senate re-election campaign has a different idea: “Team Mitch” on Tuesday morning tweeted out POLITICO’s report showing Chao’s record of granting meetings to Kentuckians over other local officials as a sign of his ability to deliver for his constituents.


  Politico

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Ditch Mitch, Kentucky

Ditch Mitch

Go Amy!  Go Amy!

McGrath's campaign told NBC News that more than $1 million came in in the first five and a half hours after the campaign launched on Tuesday.

McGrath campaign manager Mark Nickolas told NBC News that the $2.5 million haul came from online donations, with the average contribution being $36.15.

Nickolas said that the amount raised was the largest for the first 24-hours of a Senate campaign.

[...]

She was one of the most closely-watched Democratic House contenders in the 2018 midterms, narrowly losing her race to incumbent Rep. Andy Barr (R) in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District.

[...]

fundraising haul comes on the heels of a series of strong second-quarter fundraising numbers from Democrats looking to unseat incumbent Senate Republicans.

Sen. Susan Collins's (R) challenger, state Speaker Sara Gideon (D), raised more than $1 million in the first week of her campaign, while Sen. Lindsey Graham's Democratic challenger, Jaime Harrison brought in $1.5 million since launching his campaign just a month ago.

Democrat Mark Kelly, who is running to unseat Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) raised $4.2 million in the second quarter, outpacing his first-quarter haul.

  The Hill

Somebody's worried.

Ditch Mitch.  Dump Trump.