U.S. Rep. Doug Collins has outraised U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., in recent months in the hotly contested race for her Senate seat, while Democratic challenger Rev. Raphael Warnock topped them both, according to campaign finance figures.
Loeffler, a Buckhead businesswoman, still by far enjoys the largest campaign war chest with $7 million in the bank, propped up by millions of dollars in personal loans.
Fundraising figures filed this week show Collins topping Loeffler by roughly $400,000 in donations between April and June. Collins raised about $1.3 million compared to Loeffler’s nearly $910,000.
The firebrand congressman from Gainesville also has more than $2.6 million on hand to spend.
Warnock, meanwhile, nabbed nearly $3 million in donations as the Democratic front-runner in the race. It was the second quarter in a row that Warnock, chief pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, raised more than his Republican counterparts as they compete for votes within their own party.
Warnock’s campaign said he now has more than $2.9 million in cash on hand.
Loeffler, a first-time candidate, has pumped $15 million of her own money into her campaign so far. She has deep pockets as a former head of an Atlanta-based bitcoin company and the wife of billionaire executive Jeff Sprecher, whose Atlanta-based company owns the New York Stock Exchange.
Collins has leaned on his grassroots support among Georgia conservatives and his close ties to President Donald Trump. His campaign highlighted his recent topping of Loeffler in fundraising as evidence of sway with local voters.
Trump had glowing words to say about both Republican candidates during a visit to Atlanta on Wednesday.
Warnock has reeled in contributions from Democratic donors in recent months amid a spate of high-profile endorsements from local and national Democratic leaders who have elevated him to the top of the party’s ticket in the Senate contest.
The race for Loeffler’s seat has drawn a field of 21 candidates in a special election to fill the remainder of former U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s term. Isakson retired at the end of last year, prompting Gov. Brian Kemp to tap Loeffler to hold the seat until the election.
The Nov. 3 election is an open election, meaning candidates from all parties will be on the same ballot. A runoff between the top two finishers will be held in January if no candidate gains a simple majority.
Campaigning has seen a shift in focus in recent weeks toward more cultural and social issues amid nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality. Economic and health issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic also continue to dominate debate between the Senate candidates.