Perdue tops Nunn in U.S. Senate fundraising

Neither the Nunn nor Perdue campaigns revealed how much they spent or the campaigns’ cash on hand as of Sept. 30. The full fundraising reports are due later this week.

Both have relentlessly assaulted the airwaves with television ads in recent weeks, with Nunn spending more on her own and Perdue gaining ammunition from outside Republican groups.

Perdue put in at least another $500,000 of his own money during the runoff, in which he narrowly beat Rep. Jack Kingston on July 22. In all, since he got into the race the Fortune 500 executive from Sea Island has donated and lent his campaign more than $3.6 million.

Once he secured the nomination, Perdue unlocked gobs of Republican money that had been waiting on the sidelines or had gone to his primary rivals. He made the rounds in Washington among the lobbying community and got help from big-name Republican senators in raking in the cash.

Nunn, meanwhile, has been one of the Democrats’ biggest fundrasing stars of the election cycle. In September she had former President Bill Clinton and First Lady Michelle Nunn swing through Atlanta to help her raise cash, and she has taken frequent trips to Washington and liberal enclaves like Hollywood to raise more money.

The daughter of former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn has utilized her father’s connections as well as her own from running the national volunteer service nonprofit Points of Light.

Nunn has raised $13.35 million since jumping into the race in July 2013, from more than 60,000 donors. The Nunn campaign reports that 75 percent of her donors have given $100 or less.

“We have built a truly people-powered, grassroots effort that harnesses the power and best ideas of our citizens,” Nunn said in a prepared statement. “Georgians tell me every day they are tired of what’s going on in Washington and our grassroots powered campaign is going to send D.C. a message on Election Day.”

Perdue’s top donors had an opportunity to give an extra maximum $2,600 during the runoff period, but besting Nunn is no small feat given her fundraising prowess.

“This surge of support shows that Georgians are united behind David Perdue and excited to elect him to the United States Senate,” said Perdue spokeswoman Megan Whittemore. “They are giving generously to the campaign because they know that David is the right person to grow our economy and tackle our debt crisis. Their continued support is a sign of David’s growing momentum in this race.”