ATLANTA (AP) – Democrats running for Georgia’s two seats in the United States Senate raised more than $ 100 million each over two months, a massive acquisition that eclipsed campaign contributions for their Republican opponents and reflects the high risk of the two disputes.
Jon Ossoff, who will face Senator David Perdue, raised more than $ 106 million from October 15 to December 16, according to his latest campaign financial report. Raphael Warnock, who is trying to overthrow Senator Kelly Loeffler, was just behind with just over $ 103 million.
Perdue posted $ 68 million in the same two-month period, with Loeffler receiving just under $ 64 million. Three of the campaigns released their financial data on Thursday. Loeffler introduced hers the day before.
The two disputes will determine which party controls the Senate – and probably how ambitious President-elect Joe Biden can be with his agenda.
If Republicans win a race, they will maintain a narrow majority, and the House will serve as a bulwark against Democratic legislation. But if Democrats manage both, the balance will be 50-50 – with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivering tiebreakers. This will likely allow Biden to promote a more ambitious agenda, assuming he can keep other Democrats on board.
Georgia’s two runoff runs started in November, after Perdue and Loeffler failed to get more than 50% of the vote on election day. Early voting has already begun for the January 5 election.
“We are humbled by the popular support and generosity that continues to drive Reverend Warnock’s campaign to represent all Georgians in the U.S. Senate,” said Jerid Kurtz, Warnock’s campaign manager, in a statement.
Ossoff’s campaign said it was proud of its work on electoral participation. Loeffler’s campaign did not issue a statement. A text message to a spokesman for Perdue on Christmas Day was not immediately returned.
The fundraiser numbers far exceed the $ 57 million records that Democrat Jaime Harrison raised in a quarter in his attempt to oust US Senator Lindsey Graham in South Carolina in November. Harrison lost that race.
And they add up to tens of millions of dollars spent in the second round of January by outside groups. Previous campaign funding disclosures for races in Georgia suggest that outside Republican groups have an advantage in fundraising.
The money fueled a flurry of publicity and door-to-door campaigns.
Ossoff and Warnock have already spent more than $ 179 million, according to their latest disclosures. As of December 16, they had about $ 40 million in hand for the final stretch of the campaigns.
Perdue and Loeffler spent more than $ 106 million. They reported about $ 37 million on hand at the close of the reporting period.