Georgia 2020: Democratic candidates outpace Republicans in third-quarter fundraising

10/15/2020 - Atlanta, Georgia - United Sates Senate Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff speaks during a press conference with his wife, Alisha Ossoff (right), before early voting at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Thursday, October 15, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com)

Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com

Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com

10/15/2020 - Atlanta, Georgia - United Sates Senate Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff speaks during a press conference with his wife, Alisha Ossoff (right), before early voting at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Thursday, October 15, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com)

Democratic candidates in Georgia’s most competitive federal races outpaced their Republican opponents in fundraising last quarter. The pattern was evident in both U.S. Senate contests, as well as two hotly contested House battles.

Candidates for federal offices were required to submit reports no later than Thursday detailing campaign spending and money collected July 1 through Sept. 30. Fundraising is one of many tools used to judge the potential success of a campaign.

This is the last major finance report candidates are expected to file before the Nov. 3 final day of voting.

U.S. SENATE (PERDUE SEAT)

Democrat Jon Ossoff said his fundraising haul for the quarter broke a state record. He raised $21.3 million and ended with $8.3 million in cash on hand.

U.S. Sen. David Perdue, the Republican incumbent, raised about $5.6 million over the last three months and ended the quarter with about $8.2 million left in his account.

U.S. SENATE SPECIAL ELECTION (LOEFFLER SEAT)

Congressman Doug Collins, a Republican from Gainesville, raised about $2.3 million over the last three months and ended the quarter with $2.4 million in cash on hand.

Democrat Matt Lieberman received $252,671 in contributions and ended the period with $228,957 in his campaign account.

U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler raised roughly $2 million over the last three months. The Republicans also loaned her campaign $5 million during that period, bringing the total to $20 million of her own cash invested in the race. Loeffler ended the third-quarter with $5.6 million in the bank.

Rev. Raphael Warnock’s team told us already that he raised $12.8 million during the reporting period. He is the leading Democrat in the race. He has $6.5 million in cash on hand.

5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Republican Angela Stanton-King, the underdog in this race, collected $91,013 last quarter and has $28,078 left to spend.

Nikema Williams, tapped to replace Congressman John Lewis on the ballot after his death, reported raising $303,756 from late July through September. The Democrat ended the period with $208,878 in cash on hand.

6TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Karen Handel, a Republican hoping to win back her old congressional seat, reported a fundraising haul of $826,745 for the three-month period. She has $1 million in cash on hand.

Congresswoman Lucy McBath, the Democratic incumbent, raised $2.2 million in the quarter, and she has nearly $1.9 million left in the bank.

7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux’s campaigns says the $2.1 million she raised this period is a record for any candidate in the history of this seat. She ended the period with $911,731 in the bank for the final stretch.

Rich McCormick, the Republican candidate in this swing district, collected $1.1 million last quarter and has $689,129 in cash on hand.

9TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Republican front-runner Andrew Clyde raised $159,049 during the third quarter, including $65,000 that came from political committee tied to U.S. corporations, conservative groups or Republican lawmakers.

Clyde, a gun store owner, also loaned his campaign another $675,000, bringing the total amount lent to $1.4 million. He ended the period with $26,569 in cash on hand.

Democrat Devin Pandy, a military veteran, is a long-shot in this conservative district. He raised $44,151 last quarter and has $19,968 remaining in his account.