Harrison raises a record amount of cash in third quarter of 2020 in SC’s Senate race
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jaime Harrison raised $57 million during the third quarter of the year, his campaign announced on Sunday.
The July, August and September haul brings Harrison’s fundraising total to $86 million for the cycle.
The record haul, the largest for a U.S. Senate candidate in the history of the country, was likely fueled by favorable poll numbers showing Harrison tied or within one point of three-term incumbent Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.
News of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death also led to a surge of contributions to Democratic candidates across the country.
Senate Republicans plan to confirm President Donald Trump nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to fill Ginsburg’s seat. Graham, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, is scheduled to start Barrett’s confirmation hearings on Monday.
Harrison’s campaign said it received contributions from 994,000 donors who made 1.5 million individual contributions during the quarter. The average contribution was $37.
Most of the money for both Harrison and Graham’s campaigns has come from outside of the state.
Harrison’s fundraising ability has allowed him to saturate the South Carolina airwaves with television, radio and digital advertising.
“This campaign is making history, because we’re focused on restoring hope back to South Carolina,” said Harrison campaign spokesperson Guy King.
Graham’s campaign has yet to release third quarter fundraising numbers. Campaign fundraising and expenditure reports are due to the Federal Elections Commission on Oct. 15.
Through the second quarter of this year, Graham had raised $30.9 million for the cycle.
This story was originally published October 11, 2020 at 7:15 AM with the headline "Harrison raises a record amount of cash in third quarter of 2020 in SC’s Senate race."
