U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler wrote herself another $5 million check and raised an additional $1.1 million over the last three months, as she braces for a November special election against 20 other opponents.
The Republican will report more than $6.1 million in cash on hand on Wednesday for the race against U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, the Rev. Raphael Warnock and other contenders in a free-for-all contest with no party primary to filter out nominees.
In all, the financial executive has loaned herself $10 million since Gov. Brian Kemp tapped her to the job in December, passing over Collins and other better-known Republicans in the process.
They are the first two installments of the $20 million she’s pledged to spend on her campaign to fill out the remaining two years on retired Sen. Johnny Isakson’s term.
Loeffler has raced to quell an uproar over her stock transaction during the pandemic as she’s tried to focus on the federal response to the outbreak.
She narrowly outraised Collins, who collected roughly $840,000 in his Senate campaign and another $250,000 in his House account this quarter, though his Senate report only covered the two months since he entered the race in late January.
He ended the quarter with about $2.2 million in his account after a seven-figure transfer from his House coffers.
In a statement, Loeffler spokesman Stephen Lawson jabbed at Collins, saying that voters “are turning away from career politicians and toward proven conservative leaders like Kelly Loeffler who have put politics aside” during the pandemic.
Collins’ campaign swung back, noting her support from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the governor and other establishment Republicans.
“Doug tied her and did it with $20 donations from farmers and blue collar workers from Perry to Paulding County,” said the spokesman, Dan McLagan. “It seems the only person who really supports Kelly Loeffler is Kelly Loeffler.”
The financial reports for federal candidates due Wednesday span a three-month period between Jan. 1 and the end of March, a stretch that coincided with a worsening coronavirus pandemic that drained bank accounts and sapped interest in political contests.
More: Georgia candidates report fundraising hauls amid pandemic
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