McGrath has raised more than McConnell in Kentucky Senate campaign flooded with money
Democratic candidate Amy McGrath has surpassed U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in fundraising, according to campaign fundraising totals issued by the campaigns.
McGrath’s campaign announced Tuesday that it raised $12.8 million in the first quarter of 2020, bringing the total amount the campaign has raised to $29.8 million. The campaign has not been afraid of spending money early in the race and had $14.7 million on hand at the end of March.
McGrath’s total is about $4.2 million more than McConnell’s campaign has raised. The McConnell campaign reported raising $7.45 million in the first quarter of the year, bringing its total to $25.6 million. The McConnell campaign has $14.85 million on hand.
Both campaigns have collected Scrooge McDuck-sized pools of money — raising unprecedented amounts in Kentucky — and are in the top five senate campaigns in fundraising.
McGrath still has to get through a primary against state Rep. Charles Booker, D-Louisville, and Lincoln county farmer Mike Broihier, among others. Neither Broihier nor Booker — both of whom are courting the progressive wing of the Democratic Party — have released their fundraising numbers.
The coronavirus pandemic has upended the campaign, pushing the primary election back to June 23. Both McConnell and McGrath have announced programs to help get food and resources to people who need it most and McGrath has pivoted to making podcasts.
Broihier, who is new to the political scene and has been desperately trying to raise his name recognition, has been frequently hosting live video chats on Twitter and has unveiled a universal basic income plan at a time when the country is seeing a massive rise in unemployment.
McConnell, who is at the helm of shaping the federal coronavirus response, has been running TV ads about his role in the effort. He was criticized by Democrats for not taking part in the second phase of the coronavirus relief bill, instead returning to Louisville for a judge’s swearing in ceremony. McConnell then played a leading role in the third phase of the relief bill, which contained loan forgiveness for small businesses, $500 billion for large businesses and individual checks for many Americans.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 4:00 PM with the headline "McGrath has raised more than McConnell in Kentucky Senate campaign flooded with money."
