The months-long race to succeed Mitch McConnell as Senate GOP leader is kicking into high gear, with hopefuls capitalizing on the August recess to raise money for potential future colleagues whose votes they’ll need to win a leadership election.
We wanted to take stock of where the race stands when it comes to fundraising, a critical element of each candidate’s pitch to succeed McConnell, a master fundraiser. We’re starting today with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who’s undertaking a unique strategy.
According to a person familiar with Cornyn’s political operation, the former GOP whip raised money for Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania and will be in Ohio later this week to fundraise for Bernie Moreno. Both are challenging incumbent Democratic senators — Bob Casey in Pennsylvania and Sherrod Brown in Ohio respectively.
Cornyn has also been keeping in close touch with the candidates, often calling them directly to talk about their campaigns.
These efforts serve a dual purpose — helping boost the GOP’s majority-making candidates while also allowing Cornyn to campaign for the Republican Conference’s top job. That election is slated to occur shortly after the Nov. 5 elections.
The Trump wild-card: Interestingly, Cornyn also led a fundraising swing for former President Donald Trump throughout Texas in August alongside Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio). Cornyn was the special guest at Vance’s fundraisers in Laredo, San Antonio and Houston. The trip raised “well into the seven figures,” according to the person.
Getting involved in the presidential race is probably a smart move for Cornyn. While the election itself is conducted by secret ballot, Trump will undoubtedly have an influence on the outcome if he chooses to back a candidate.
This is also key for Cornyn because, over the last few years, he’s publicly questioned Trump’s ability to win in 2024. Circumstances have obviously changed, but Cornyn said as recently as last year that Trump doesn’t “understand” that “you have to appeal to voters beyond your base.”
Fundraising chops: Cornyn – a former two-term NRSC chair – has always been a strong fundraiser, and it’s a key part of his pitch in the leadership race. We reported in June that Cornyn, through his joint fundraising committee and direct-to-candidate efforts, had already bested his fundraising haul from the entire 2022 cycle.
At the end of the second quarter, Cornyn’s fundraising total for the 2024 cycle topped $23 million. That includes $3.5 million raised in the second quarter alone, which was his JFC’s best quarter in its history.
Of course, being from Texas gives Cornyn an advantage as well. Texas is an expensive state to fundraise in — not to mention the logistical difficulties given its size — so the candidates benefit more directly from the hard dollars raised through a JFC.
GOP money woes: This all comes as Republican campaign committees are sounding the alarm about what they say is a massive fundraising gap. The NRSC’s Jason Thielman told Politico that the “massive financial disparity our party currently faces” means they could “lose winnable seats.”
At the same time, the Harris-Walz campaign — which shattered fundraising records last month — is bankrolling Democratic candidates down the ballot.
More Senate campaign news: Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who’s likely to win a Senate seat in November, raised $100,000 for Moreno, the Ohio GOP Senate nominee, at a fundraiser in Ft. Wayne on Tuesday.
— Andrew Desiderio
