WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Democrats raised a record $26.9 million in campaign contributions during August, mainly from grassroots donors hoping to see Democrats win the Senate majority in the Nov. 3 election, the lawmakers’ campaign committee said on Friday.
The August haul left the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee with $41 million in cash on hand as it entered September and the final two months of the 2020 campaign. The committee raised about $13 million in both June and July.
The DSCC and its Republican rival, the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, have both seen rising donation levels as the November election nears. The NRSC was not expected to release its August numbers until Sunday, the Federal Election Commission’s formal filing deadline for the committees.
Republicans currently hold a 53 seat to 47 seat majority in the Senate. But President Donald Trump’s flagging poll numbers over his performance during the coronavirus pandemic have boosted Democratic chances of winning enough Republican-held seats to control the chamber in January.
The DSCC said more than 86% of its August donations came from grassroots contributors online, over the phone and through the mail, adding that the average online donation for August was $35.
“The grassroots community continues to show up for our work to flip the Senate,” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, who chairs the DSCC.
“The momentum behind Democratic Senate candidates will continue to fuel these races through these final crucial weeks and provide critical resources to ensure we reach voters across these battleground states,” she said in a statement.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Tom Brown)
