RAKING IT IN

Dem Stars Cash in on Trump Backlash With Fund-Raising Bonanza

Democrats are putting up record fundraising numbers ahead of the election.

Democratic Party Senate candidates in some of America’s biggest races are reporting eye-popping sums of cash as they mount bids against Donald Trump’s handpicked candidates.

Thursday marked the filing deadline for the third-quarter fundraising period, and Americans have poured money into a series of campaigns as backlash against the administration and frustration with Republicans grow.

Texas candidate James Talarico raised a whopping $64 million from July through September, according to his campaign. It’s the largest sum any U.S. Senate candidate has ever raised in the third quarter of an election.

Since launching his campaign in September 2025, he has raised more than $134 million from more than 1.3 million contributors. 97 percent of the contributions have been $100 or less, the campaign said on Thursday.

While Talarico is taking on scandal-plagued Trump ally Ken Paxton in one of the most competitive efforts to flip Texas blue in a statewide race for the first time in more than thirty years, he’s not the only Democrat who has received a massive cash haul.

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Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff raised more than $33 million in the third quarter, his campaign announced, as he looks to hold onto his seat in one of the biggest battleground states in recent years.

The average donation to his campaign was $46 from more than 760,000 donors, and from July through September, 97 percent of his contributions were $100 or less.

He’s running against MAGA candidate Mike Collins, whom Trump will campaign for at a rally in the state on Friday.

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Then there’s Democratic North Carolina Senate candidate Roy Cooper, who raked in more than $19.5 million from July through September, including from all 100 counties in his state.

It comes as he campaigns for the seat vacated by Republican Thom Tillis. Trump tried to bully Tillis, which resulted in him announcing he would not run again. The president then handpicked GOP candidate Michael Whatley, but he’s struggled in the race.

The Senate Leadership Fund, which backs GOP Senate candidates as they try to hold the Senate majority, canceled ad spending at the start of the month. It signaled that Republicans are giving up on holding the Senate seat.

It happened as Whatley continues to trail Cooper in the polls by as much as 14 points. But Trump is still headed to the state next week to campaign for his chosen candidate.

While massive fundraising hauls aren’t a sure sign a candidate will win, and outside Republican groups have also spent hundreds of millions against them, they do indicate where the momentum is in the final stretch of the race.

Paxton, Collins and Whatley have until the end of the day to file their third-quarter fundraising figures with the Federal Election Commission.

Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats while Democrats hold 47. Democrats need to flip four seats to retake the Senate majority in November.

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Sarah Ewall-WicePolitical Reporter

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