Rand Paul outraises Charles Booker by more than 2-to-1 in Kentucky Senate race
Sen. Rand Paul outraised his likely Democratic challenger Charles Booker by more than 2-to-1 over the last three months, showcasing his strength as an incumbent with a mighty small-donor following.
Paul’s re-election campaign announced on Tuesday taking in more than $4 million between July and the end of September, which constitutes the third fundraising quarter.
Booker’s campaign reported a $1.7 million haul during the same period. The former state representative formally launched his challenge to Paul on July 1.
Paul now has $7 million on hand to spend for the 2022 campaign; Booker’s team did not immediately provide its cash-on-hand number.
The fundraising gap is an early indication of one of the challenges Booker will face running in a deep red state during a midterm election year that historically proves to be difficult for the party in power in Washington.
It’s also a personal best fundraising quarter for Paul, who is seeking his third term. According to Jake Cox, Paul’s deputy campaign manager, the senator has 150,000 small-dollar donors, compared to the 30,000 donors the Booker campaign claims. That’s an early 5-fold advantage.
About half of Booker’s contributions came from out of state, representing a national network he’ll need to grow to try to keep pace with Paul, who has a nationwide following from his unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign.
In the third quarter of 2019, Amy McGrath raised nearly $11 million for her challenge to Mitch McConnell. A year later, she suffered a 20-point defeat.
Booker’s much smaller number during the same comparative timeframe may represent Democrats’ reluctance to invest in a race that many observers don’t see as winnable, even under the best circumstances.
Still, Booker’s campaign is promising to produce the largest “statewide deep organizing campaign in the history of the commonwealth.”
“We have seen time and time again that fundraising without a real plan to invest in the people and make Kentuckians’ voices heard is a failing plan,” said Booker campaign manager Bianca Keaton. “This campaign is building on the work that Rep. Booker did last cycle and is on pace to deliver the largest statewide organizing program the state has ever seen.”
This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 12:46 PM with the headline "Rand Paul outraises Charles Booker by more than 2-to-1 in Kentucky Senate race."
