Politics

Jon Ossoff enters fall campaign with $42M on hand

The Georgia Democrat raised another $20 million in the second quarter as Republicans prepare to spend millions backing GOP nominee Mike Collins.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff waves to the crowd at a rally last month in Savannah. (Sarah Peacock for the AJC)
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff waves to the crowd at a rally last month in Savannah. (Sarah Peacock for the AJC)
1 hour ago

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff enters the general election campaign with more than $42 million in his account after raising another $20 million during the second quarter, giving the Georgia Democrat one of the nation’s largest war chests in his reelection fight against U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.

The campaign said Wednesday that the average contribution was $42 and nearly 90% of the more than 474,000 donations it received from April through June were $100 or less.

Collins has not yet reported his latest fundraising totals for the quarter. Through the end of May, he had raised roughly $5 million for his Senate bid.

Ossoff has long ranked among the nation’s most prodigious political fundraisers. He shattered U.S. House fundraising records during his 2017 special election campaign and has continued to post eye-popping totals since winning a Senate seat in 2021.

His latest haul is among the biggest Senate fundraising quarters in the country, trailing Texas Democrat James Talarico’s more than $30 million haul as of early Wednesday.

Ossoff’s campaign released the fundraising figures ahead of its full Federal Election Commission filing. That report, expected later Wednesday, will provide a more detailed look at its finances, including its largest donors, where contributions came from and how much it spent.

The fundraising edge gives Ossoff another advantage as he enters the fall campaign. Public polls have shown him with an early lead over Collins, and key Republicans worry about their chances in what was once seen as one of the GOP’s best pickup opportunities.

Still, Republicans have signaled they’ll devote enormous resources to defeating him. The Senate Leadership Fund, the GOP-aligned super PAC, has pledged to spend an initial $44 million on the race, its largest investment ever in a Georgia Senate contest outside of a runoff.

And Ossoff faces a unique challenge: He’s the only Democratic Senate incumbent seeking reelection this year in a state President Donald Trump carried in 2024. Winning another term will require him to capture a meaningful share of Trump voters.

Ossoff’s campaign also warned the stakes are higher this year after a June Supreme Court ruling that lifted longstanding limits on coordinated spending between political parties and candidates, which could help offset the Democratic fundraising edge.

“The Ossoff campaign is building unstoppable grassroots momentum to push back against Republican dark money, power our massive and winning coalition over the next four months, and resoundingly defeat Trump loyalist Mike Collins at the ballot box come November,” campaign manager Ellen Foster said.