News: Senate Minority Whip John Thune has raised nearly $22 million this cycle after spending the August recess fundraising for a half-dozen Senate GOP candidates and former President Donald Trump.
According to a source familiar with Thune’s political operation, the South Dakota Republican visited at least eight states to raise money for a mix of Republicans challenging incumbent Democratic senators and GOP incumbents running for reelection, as well as the NRSC.
Thune’s fundraising blitz comes as the race to succeed Mitch McConnell as Senate GOP leader hits a crucial stretch. Two Republican senators have already endorsed Thune for the job, yet the rest of the GOP conference is still publicly undecided. Senate Republican candidates who defeat Democratic incumbents in November will get to vote as well.
Thune also headlined a Trump campaign fundraiser for Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) in Nebraska organized by Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.).
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), another contender in the GOP leadership race, was raising money in August for Senate Republicans as well as for Trump, traveling to three Texas cities with Vance. We told you about Cornyn’s summer fundraising on Wednesday.
Like Cornyn, Thune was skeptical of Trump’s comeback bid for the White House. Trump even backed a primary challenge to Thune in 2022, though that went nowhere. The former president spoke out against Thune in late 2020 after the South Dakota Republican criticized Trump’s push to overturn the election results. Thune endorsed Trump back in February.
Both Thune and Cornyn have long been powerhouse fundraisers for Senate Republicans. This is an essential responsibility for any party leader, but especially because whoever wins the leadership contest will be filling the shoes of McConnell, who does it better than anyone in the party.
As of the end of the second quarter, Cornyn had raised $23 million so far this cycle through his joint fundraising committee as well as his direct-to-candidate efforts.
Thune’s travels: In August, Thune headlined fundraisers across the country for the following GOP challengers and incumbents: Eric Hovde (Wis.), Dave McCormick (Pa.), Rep. John Curtis (Utah), Sam Brown (Nev.) and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). Thune also attended NRSC fundraisers in Massachusetts and Wisconsin.
Thune has also campaigned publicly with some of them. Thune spoke at an agriculture-focused event with Mike Rogers, went to a county fair with Ohio GOP Senate nominee Bernie Moreno and joined McCormick on a multi-day bus tour throughout the Keystone State.
Thune is currently on a bipartisan CODEL in Asia. The Senate is back in session next week.
The Senate GOP leadership elections are expected to take place shortly after the Nov. 5 election. Republican senators and senators-elect will vote for each position via secret ballot.
— Andrew Desiderio
