ATLANTA – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff raised $2.9 million last month, the investigative journalist’s campaign reported Tuesday.
About $1 million of that money came during a five-day stretch at the end of July immediately after news coverage of a digital ad run by incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue’s campaign that appeared to alter Ossoff’s image by enlarging his nose.
The Democrat complained the ad was an anti-Semitic attack on Ossoff, who is Jewish. While denying that Ossoff was being targeted and describing the altered image as an accident, the Perdue campaign deleted the ad.
Ossoff’s campaign received 28,000 contributions from first-time donors in July. Thus far, the Democrat has received donations form 150 of Georgia’s 159 counties.
About 97% of the contributions to Ossoff last month were less than $200.
“Jon is building a massive grassroots movement across the Peach State, bringing Georgians from all walks of life together to fight for a government that works for the people,” said Ellen Foster, Ossoff’s campaign manager. “The wind is at our backs here in Georgia, and we’re ready to win in November.”
In a news release, the Ossoff campaign cited two recent polls that show Ossoff and Perdue virtually tied, within the polls’ margin of error.
The Washington, D.C.-based Cook Political Report recently moved the race from “leans Republican” into the “toss-up” column.