Winning was good for John Fetterman’s campaign accounts.
The lieutenant governor had long raked in millions of campaign dollars in $10 and $20 increments, but after securing the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, Fetterman saw a significant jump in his pace of fundraising, and in money coming in from outside of Pennsylvania.
Despite suffering a stroke days before the May 17 primary, Fetterman took in $8.3 million in the 44 days from the primary to June 30 — more than the state’s incumbent senators have ever raised in an entire three-month reporting period. That’s more than triple what he raised in a similar time frame leading up to the primary.
Of the money that came in after Fetterman won the nomination, and whose details have been publicly disclosed, about 66% came from outside Pennsylvania. Before the primary, only 51% of such money for Fetterman arrived from outside the state. His Republican rival, Mehmet Oz, has raised more than 75% of his campaign funds outside Pennsylvania, both before and after winning the GOP nomination. (The state origins of some of Fetterman’s small-dollar donations can’t be tracked because they are below the required reporting threshold and have arrived by mail or directly online, so they aren’t revealed by candidate disclosures or ActBlue, the online Democratic donation portal.)
The spike from out of state likely reflects the national stakes of the Senate race, and Democratic hopes for capturing the GOP-held seat.
”People from both Pennsylvania and across the country know how important it is that we flip the seat blue — and they know John has the backbone to take on politicians and lobbyists in Washington,” said Fetterman spokesperson Emilia Rowland.
Fetterman raised at least $854,500 the day after the primary alone, the most of any single day this year — and nearly as much as the $952,270 Oz raised in the entire stretch from the May 17 primary through June 30, the cutoff for the latest public disclosures.
Fetterman’s campaign noted that his average donation after the primary, was just $29.95, a 90-cent increase from before he won the nomination, and that most of his money is still coming from smaller donors.
Democrats see Pennsylvania as their best chance this year to swing a Republican-held Senate seat, especially because the incumbent Republican, Sen. Pat Toomey, isn’t seeking reelection. And distant, out-of-state donors often have more interest in the general election — when it’s a Republican vs. Democratic contest and the winner might dramatically shift the direction of national policy — than in primaries, when voters are choosing between different flavors within the same party.
So once Fetterman became the nominee, money followed. Pennsylvania’s race has some of the highest stakes, and most costly media markets, in the country.
Despite the stakes, though, Oz didn’t see a similarly significant surge.
In the 46 days leading up to the primary, he raised $880,814. In the 44 days after he brought in $952,270.
In part, Oz was hampered by a lengthy GOP primary recount that meant he wasn’t affirmed as the nominee until June 3, when rival David McCormick conceded (Fetterman had long been seen as the almost certain Democratic winner and was affirmed as the nominee on May 17).
But even after McCormick conceded, Oz saw only a small increase in his pace of fundraising.
Several Pennsylvania Republican insiders offered a combination of reasons why the celebrity surgeon has struggled to raise significant sums from supporters. Some pointed to the recount preventing him from hitting the ground running after the primary. Others noted that Oz, now in his first run for public office, doesn’t have the natural base of donors that others might.
And, given his wealth, it might be harder for Oz to convince donors to give money. He has personally put up $14.2 million of the $18.9 million his campaign has raised. (Fetterman has argued that Oz simply doesn’t have enough connection to Pennsylvania).
Still, Oz has events planned throughout September, including with some of the state’s top Republican fundraisers, according to GOP insiders familiar with his plans. Some of his events are expected to draw support from McCormick donors. Last week, Oz attended a fundraiser in Reading whose co-hosts included Scott Wagner, the GOP’s gubernatorial nominee in 2018.
His campaign noted Oz has spent the summer attending dozens of campaign events across the state.
“Just like in the primary, the Dr. Oz for Senate campaign will have ample resources to get its message out. Unlike John Fetterman, Dr. Oz has spent the summer criss-crossing the state, and has been greeted by huge crowds of supporters at every stop,” Oz spokesperson Brittany Yannick said.
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