Democrats dominate Senate fundraising, GOP holds own in House: 5 takeaways from new campaign filings

Senate Democratic candidates are fiercely outraising their GOP counterparts in a handful of must-win races as the party eyes flipping the upper chamber this fall, but House Republican contenders are still holding their own as they defend a narrow majority in the lower chamber.

Candidates, PACs and party committees filed their federal finance reports Wednesday for the second quarter of this year, which spans April to June. The filings offer a window into the financial viability of campaigns and the groups looking to shape critical primaries and general election match-ups ahead of November. 

Super PACs, which are only required to file twice a year, also reported their activity for the first half of the year this week. Candidates running in statewide races and local elections also posted their latest numbers, though the deadlines of each vary by state and locality.

The campaign reports offer a glimpse into the sheer amount of money groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) super PAC, United Democracy Project (UDP), are spending as they wade into hotly contested races like the Michigan Democratic Senate primary.

Meanwhile, a Supreme Court decision that landed on the last day of the second quarter is poised to massively upend campaign finance politics ahead of the fall. The ruling, which paves the way for party committees and candidates to coordinate and fundraise unlimited amounts of money, offers Republicans a critical boost in key Senate races where their finances are lagging.

Here are five takeaways from the latest campaign finance reports:

Dems have upper hand in Senate; House GOP holds own

Democratic candidates running for seats in the upper chamber are steadily maintaining high numbers for the quarter. Texas Senate Democratic candidate James Talarico’s (D) campaign alone raised about $28 million. His Republican counterpart, Ken Paxton, reported raising $1.6 million from his campaign. 

Sen. Jon Ossoff (Ga.), seen as the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent up for reelection this cycle, raised roughly $17 million from his campaign, as his Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins (Ga.), brought in $1.6 million through his campaign. 

Alaska Democratic Senate hopeful Mary Peltola’s campaign raised close to $7 million, easily outraising GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan, whose campaign raised $2 million.

Sullivan, however, has more funds as he ends the quarter with $8.3 million in the bank while Peltola, a former representative, has close to $6.1 million.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), too, is not........

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