“A major issue: Barnes’ small-dollar fundraising dramatically trails other Democrats, in part because he did not officially become the party’s nominee until Aug. 2 and had relatively little national profile,”According to the Post “As of his latest Federal Election Commission report, he’s raised just over $3 million in contributions of less than $200.”
Rep. Val Demings (R.FL), who is running to be a senator in Florida has raised $26.4million through small donations. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Senate candidate from Ohio has raised $8 Million in small donations.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s campaign has been boosted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), chaired by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), with a combined outlay of $2.5 million. Barnes and the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee, (DSCC), have collectively spent $2.2 million.
Barnes has been a target of the NRSC for months. They have also committed to identifying him early on in the race as a radical. This investment appears to have paid off. “Thanks to your investments, the NRSC has been able to spend heavily, early (as promised at the start of the cycle!) which has kept our candidates in the ballgame,” Scott penned a memo to donors last week. “Every Democrat we are trying to beat is under 50 in the polling right now and no Democrat has been able to pull away in the polls in our target states.”
Scott had predicted in the memo that Republicans would gain at least 2 seats in November. According to Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democratic senator from New York, there is an 60% chance that Democrats retain the Senate.
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