McGrath outraises McConnell, Booker and Broihier combined in 2 months before election
Democratic candidate Amy McGrath outraised U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and her two Democratic primary opponents in the two months leading up to Kentucky’s June 23 primary election.
McGrath reported raising $11.3 million between April 1 and June 3, more than McConnell, state Rep. Charles Booker and Lincoln County farmer Mike Broihier combined. McConnell raised $7.2 million in the same period, Booker raised $476,445 and Broihier raised $259,813.
The pre-primary report came before a recent surge in momentum for Booker, who has seized a moment where progressives are clamoring for political change. Booker’s campaign says it has raised $934,937 since June 4, a period where he was endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York.
Still, the McGrath campaign has a significant financial advantage heading into the primary. As of June 3, she has raised $41 million since launching her campaign in July, around $8 million more than McConnell, who has raised $32.8 million. Booker raised a total of $792,612 and Broihier raised $494,243.
“When you run against Mitch McConnell liberal donors from New York and California make sure your pockets are full, but they can’t do anything for McGrath’s invisible political support in Kentucky,” said Kevin Golden, McConnell’s campaign manager. “She has spent more money than any Democrat in Kentucky’s history, and there’s a good chance she doesn’t even make it out of the primary.”
Thus far, McConnell has raised around $4 million from political action committees. McGrath has raised $170,955 from PACs, Booker has raised 1,915.25 from PACs and Broihier has raised no money from PACs.
“Mike is the only candidate who can beat Mitch McConnell, and millions of out-of-state dollars won’t change that,” said Greg Nasif, a spokesman for Broihier. “This report shows that, while other campaigns waste funds on out-of-state consultants, we have strategically saved our resources for the final two weeks.”
McGrath also has the most cash on hand of all of the Kentucky candidates for U.S. Senate, with $19.3 million. McConnell has $15.4 million on hand, Booker had $284,901 and Broihier had $250,619.
Money does not win elections. It does, however, provide candidates with the resources to communicate their message to voters. Both Booker and Broihier raised more between April and June than they had raised in earlier parts of their campaign, which has allowed both candidates to air television ads with two weeks to go before the primary election.
Both candidates went straight for McGrath, calling her a “pro-Trump Democrat,” an attempt to undercut months of her advertisements (McGrath has been on television statewide since last July) and win over progressive voters in the Democratic party.
On Twitter, McGrath’s campaign responded Friday to a Booker tweet talking about how much he’s raised since June 4, saying “Congratulations Charles on your fundraising. Now you will have the resources to actually provide health insurance to your staff and pay your interns $15/hr like we do.”
McGrath’s campaign touted providing healthcare, paying interns and joining a lawsuit in Western District Court over the fact that many Kentucky Counties will only have one polling place for the primary.
“It’s disappointing I’m the only candidate in this Democratic primary who has the integrity to lead on these issues,” McGrath said.
When asked about the comment, the Booker campaign said “everyone who works full-time for the Booker campaign has health insurance.”
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 1:08 PM.
