In the race back to the Georgia Senate, the two Republican candidates, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, were outnumbered by their Democratic opponents, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, according to reports.
In one of the state’s run-off elections, Ossoff raised $ 106.8 million, according to Bloomberg, which cited the latest record of its campaign with the Federal Election Commission, from October 15 to December 16. According to several reports, Ossoff ended the period with 17.5 million in the bank and spent $ 93.5 million.
In comparison, Ossoff’s opponent, Perdue, raised $ 68.1 million and ended the filing period with $ 16 million in cash, according to Bloomberg.
Newsweek contacted the Ossoff and Perdue campaigns, but received no response in time for publication.
In the state’s special election, Warnock raised $ 103.4 million during the same period, according to Bloomberg, while his opponent, Loeffler, raised $ 64 million. Warnock spent $ 86.1 million at the end of the period and had $ 22.8 million in cash on Thursday.
Loeffler had $ 21.3 million in the bank when his campaign enters the final weeks.
In an email sent to NewsweekJerid Kurtz, Warnock’s campaign manager, wrote: “We are humbled by the popular support and generosity that continue to drive Reverend Warnock’s campaign to represent all Georgians in the United States Senate.”
“Millions of people donated their time, energy and contributions to help us communicate with Georgians across this state to help deliver Reverend Warnock’s strong and moral leadership and bring change to Washington on January 5,” said the e- mail.
Newsweek contacted the Loeffler campaign, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Overall, the two Democrats combined outnumbered their opponents by $ 78.1 million, according to Bloomberg. Each of the candidate’s records includes the money collected in the general elections and in the second rounds.
While Democratic candidates outnumbered their opponents, all four candidates surpassed the $ 57.9 million raised by South Carolina Senate Democratic candidate Jaime Harrison in his race against Lindsey Graham, who set the record for most money raised in a quarter for any Senate candidate.
Tami Chappell / Getty
Each candidate’s fundraising reports arrive less than a month before they face off in the second round of the Senate, scheduled for January 5. The dispute will decide whether Republicans are able to retain majority control of the Senate.
On the other hand, if the two Democrats win, the Senate will be divided with each party with 50 seats and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will have tiebreakers.
Much recent research has shown that each race is being heavily contested.
A survey conducted by InsiderAdvatnage / WAGA-TV found Perdue leading Ossoff by one point (49 to 48 percent), while Warnock led Loeffler by two points (49 to 47 percent).
Another Emerson College poll showed that both Republican candidates led by three points, as each received 51% of the support, compared with 48% received by Warnock and Ossoff.
Updated December 25, 2020, 11:40 am ET, to include a statement from the Warnock campaign.