Senate Democrats eyeing tough re-election fights can look to one bright spot: large fundraising and cash hoards more than a year before Election Day.
In states where they are most vulnerable in 2024 — Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin — Democratic incumbents have raised more money than they had previously in previous cycles, the latest campaign filings show. Saturday marked the end of the deadline for campaigns to submit spending and fundraising reports for the three months between April 1 and June 30.
Most of the Democratic senators in vulnerable positions also outperformed their potential Republican rivals in fundraising and will head into the fall with several million dollars in cash in hand.
The race for control of the Senate is in its early months, and Republicans are still campaigning. However, the Democrats’ relative financial strength in the second quarter of a year off suggests significant energy as the party seeks to protect its slim majority next year.
The electoral map, however, will be one of the most challenging the party has faced in years. Nearly two dozen Democratic seats are up for re-election in 2024, with eight incumbents considered vulnerable, while only 10 Republicans face re-election, and all GOP incumbents won by comfortable margins in previous cycles.
In their Senate re-election bids, Ohio’s Sherrod Brown and Montana’s Jon Tester contributed more than $5 million. Mr. Brown had $8.7 million in cash on hand and Mr. Tester $10.5 million. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin raised $3.2 million, the most ever in a Wisconsin Senate race in one year, according to her campaign.
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a conservative Democrat who has yet to publicly say whether he will run for re-election — and is flirting with a third-party presidential bid — raised $1.3 million over the past three months and has more of 10 million dollars. in the bank, extending his cash advantage over Gov. Jim Justice and Rep. Alex Mooney, Republicans who have already launched campaigns to unseat him.
In Pennsylvania, Sen. Bob Casey posted his best fundraising quarter yet, bringing in more than $4 million for his re-election bid.
Republicans have been preparing their own money machines and recruiting candidates in five states with vulnerable Democrats. Republican confidence has also been boosted by the 2024 Senate map.
Democrats are “trying to use money to defy gravity,” said Stu Sandler, a political consultant and former policy director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “This is an uneven map for them,” he added, pointing to former President Donald J. Trump’s 2020 victories in Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, all states that Mr. Trump won decisively. And, he said, Republicans have some “very credible front-runners” to challenge the incumbents.
Democrats see the fundraising as a crucial show of strength that will bolster their candidates ahead of a difficult 2024 cycle for the party.
“Voters and grassroots supporters are once again supporting Democratic Senate candidates in record numbers because they recognize the stakes in this election and the importance of preventing Republicans from implementing their toxic agenda,” said spokesman Tommy Garcia of the Democratic Senate. Campaign Committee.
In Arizona, Rep. Ruben Gallego outraised Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who has switched party affiliation from Democrat to independent, by two to one, the second time this year that Mr. Gallego has achieved this ratio. He is still chasing Ms. Sinema with more than $7 million in cash on hand. Ms. Sinema has not yet announced whether she will run for re-election.
Even Democrats in safe Republican territory had strong forecasts. In Texas, Rep. Colin Allred raised $6.2 million in his challenge to Sen. Ted Cruz. Mr. Allred, who announced his campaign in May, raised more money in a shorter period of time than Mr. Cruz, who raised $4.4 million in the past three months.
