Donors are mobilizing in Pennsylvania and beyond for Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, hoping to propel him to the Senate seat left open by retiring incumbent Republican Pat Toomey.
Fetterman took in $2.7 million in the third quarter of this year, on pace with his second-quarter total of $2.5 million. The campaign reported that the haul came from more than 94,000 donations, including 24,000 first-time donors. That’s part of $9.3 million that Fetterman had raised so far this year through September 30, a sum that puts him well ahead of his competitors in both parties.
“I could not be more proud and thankful that quarter after quarter, our movement is continuing to grow even bigger,” Fetterman said.
Commenting on the big picture of his fundraising so far, he said: “I am blown away by the support we have across the Commonwealth, and the fact that we have donations from over 87% of Pennsylvania zip codes is amazing. On top of that, to have received well over 325,000 individual contributions from over 150,000 people is truly humbling.”
The Front Runner for an Open Seat
With Toomey’s seat wide open, Fetterman is one of a number of candidates vying to be Pennsylvania’s new junior senator. Fetterman has a comfortable lead over his Democratic opponents, at around 33% in recent polling; no other potential nominee comes close.
That’s reflected in the donor numbers, senior advisor Rebecca Katz said, calling the third quarter haul an example of the “campaign’s momentum, grassroots support, and enthusiasm.” The lieutenant governor outraised all of his Democratic opponents combined in the third quarter; next closest was Rep. Conor Lamb with $1.2 million.
“It’s become crystal clear that our supporters are uniquely engaged and deeply enthusiastic about sending John to the Senate,” Katz added.
On the GOP side, Sean Parnell—who unsuccessfully challenged Lamb in 2020—leads the field. Pennsylvania was close in 2020, with President Joe Biden narrowly beating former President Donald Trump 50.01% to 48.84%.
Democratic Donors Are Fired Up
Fetterman’s fundraising success is another example of how energized Democratic donors are right now, an encouraging trend I wrote about last week.
With about a year to go before the 2022 midterms, Democrats and Republicans are raising money at a breakneck pace. Already in 2021, with one quarter to go, both parties have taken in a combined total of nearly $600 million in their respective national, senatorial and House committees. Another Democratic Senate candidate, Rep. Val Demmings of Florida, took in $8.4 million in the third quarter.
Control of the Senate hangs in the balance. Democrats have an edge because Vice President Kamala Harris is the tiebreaker in the 50/50 split. Pennsylvania is one of the pivotal contests, alongside North Carolina, Wisconsin and Florida, that could determine which party controls the upper chamber.
“We’re talking about a Senate that is tied, and Pennsylvania is one of the critical states that’s likely to decide which party takes the majority,” pollster and political expert G. Terry Madonna said.
Small-dollar donors are increasingly important to determining the outcomes of races around the country. Their money can shift the tone of a race and the number of small donors a campaign can count on is indicative of the grassroots energy behind the candidate.
Donors looking to ensure Pennsylvania’s Senate seat flips to the Democrats would do well to give Fetterman’s campaign a close look. As Blue Tent has reported, your small-dollar donations can do more when they’re directly targeted to a campaign rather than a PAC or other intermediary organization. Also, giving early to candidates is critical, since it allows their campaigns to make the plans and investments needed to win.