Several Democrats have announced strong first-quarter fundraising numbers, including Senate candidate Mary Peltola in Alaska, who raised a state record $8.9 million, and Ossoff, who has more than $31 million in the bank.
Democratic Senate candidates are posting blockbuster fundraising totals for the first quarter, with Texas candidate James Talarico's campaign announcing a $27 million haul—which the campaign said was a record for a first quarter—and Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff collecting $14 million.
Soaring small-dollar donations have been a trademark of Democratic Party fundraising in recent cycles and could help offset what has so far been a big advantage this election cycle for Republican-aligned super PACs like the Senate Leadership Fund, which announced last week it would allocate $342 million to eight battleground races.
Talarico, who on Wednesday announced raising $10 million since winning his primary last month, has the luxury of building up a campaign war chest while a close and nasty primary between Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton continues to soak up campaign dollars that Senate Republicans would prefer to spend elsewhere.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has repeatedly urged President Donald Trump to back Cornyn ahead of the May 26 runoff. The president has dangled his potential endorsement several times but held off on making a decision. The Senate Leadership Fund, which is closely aligned with GOP leaders, has not allocated money for the general election in Texas as that stalemate drags on.
Meanwhile, several Georgia Republicans are still battling a tough primary campaign for the right to take on Ossoff, whose campaign said Wednesday that he had more than $31 million in the bank. The Cook Political Report on Monday moved four Senate race ratings in the Democrats' direction, including in Georgia where it now rates the election as "Lean Democrat."
While still a longshot, Democrats' chances of flipping the Senate have been rising after a string of off-year and special election wins, and voter concerns about the cost of living only exacerbated by an inflation spike spurred by the Iran war.
Other Democrats have also announced strong first-quarter fundraising numbers, including Senate candidate Mary Peltola in Alaska, who on Monday said she raised a state record $8.9 million, or about $12 for every resident of the state. The former representative, who narrowly lost her seat in 2024 and only launched her campaign in January, is seeking to unseat incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan.