SC Senate candidates Harrison, Graham post big fundraising gains despite coronavirus
A global pandemic isn’t slowing down the cash race South Carolina’s race for U.S. Senate.
Democrat Jaime Harrison raised more money than Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in the first quarter of 2020 in what has already become the most expensive U.S. Senate race in South Carolina history.
This development is sure to embolden Democrats hoping to unseat Graham, a polarizing politician largely for embracing President Donald Trump after vilifying him for the better part of the 2016 presidential campaign.
It could also galvanize Republicans who don’t want to risk what would be a catastrophic upset for the party if a Democrat wins statewide in November in what has always been considered a reliably conservative state.
Harrison raised $7.4 million between Jan. 1 and March 31 of this year, pushing his fundraising totals to just under $15 million for the election cycle so far. He has $8 million left to spend.
Graham has still raised more money overall than Harrison — $22.6 million cycle-to-date — and has $12.8 million in cash on hand, but his most recent quarterly haul was $5.6 million.
The Graham campaign, however, still touted breaking “personal and state fundraising record(s) for the fifth straight quarter ... despite canceling all fundraising events during the Senate’s impeachment trial and suspending fundraising operations for the final two weeks of the quarter once President Trump declared a national State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The incumbent senator continued to receive contributions from individual donors as well as industry PACs, typical for longtime veteran lawmakers with seniority on key congressional committees — Graham is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations.
His report with the Federal Elections Commission shows a $147,000 transfer from Graham Victory 2020, a separate PAC established to help Graham this cycle that served as a clearing house for some of the senator’s biggest individual donors this quarter.
In addition, Graham received $14,000 in combined contributions from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s personal war chest and leadership PAC.
He also was the beneficiary of $37,389 from the joint fundraiser he held with Trump in North Charleston on Feb. 28, the eve of the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary when the president was in town for a rally.
Harrison took in money this quarter from joint fundraising efforts as well, including $15,300 from an event with incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., and $3,450 from a partnership with James Mackler, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Tennessee.
Other campaign contributions for Harrison came from sitting U.S. Senate Democrats, including 2020 presidential candidates Cory Booker of New Jersey ($5,000) and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York ($2,500). Retired U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada pitched in $2,000.
Harrison also received donations from several members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including the Congressional Black Caucus PAC ($5,000). The Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s PAC gave Harrison $2,000.
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 12:26 PM.
