Sen. Josh Hawley raised nearly $1 million last month as he faced backlash for leading a challenge to the certification of the Electoral College’s vote for President Biden.
The Missouri Republican’s team released a memo on Monday revealing that his campaign brought in $969,000 in January. The campaign noted that the January fundraising “surge” included 12,000 new donors, the average donation was $52, and the campaign has $2.1 million on hand heading into his 2022 reelection bid.
Hawley’s staff says the strong financial metrics reveal the senator’s enduring support from his constituents.
“It is crystal clear that a strong majority of Missouri voters and donors stand firmly with Senator Hawley, in spite of the continued false attacks coming from the radical left,” Hawley pollster Wes Anderson concluded.
The haul exceeds any previous monthly fundraising haul since his initial run in October 2018, which was right before he defeated incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill in his initial Senate run, according to Axios. But despite the emphasis on grassroots fundraising, Hawley received $310,000 from an independent political group called the Senate Conservatives Fund, according to another Axios report published Thursday. The SCF also paid nearly $400,000 from Jan. 12-28 to send texts and email blasts in support of the Missouri Republican.
Hawley was the first senator to announce his intention to object during the certification, a critical development given that Congress requires stated objections from a House member and at least one senator in order for a certification vote to be postponed. Other Senate Republicans subsequently announced their intention to object to Biden’s electoral victory, but the joint session was stopped when a large group of Trump supporters breached the Capitol, sending it into a lockdown. More than a hundred people have been arrested and five died in the chaos.
In the aftermath of the attack, which led to former President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment, several companies announced that they would be halting donations to any member of Congress who voted against certifying the election results.
Last week, Google joined the list of companies that have suspended donations to lawmakers who objected to the certification of Biden’s victory.
In response to companies opting to halt their contributions, Anderson said, “The corporate PACs that have stopped donating account for a VERY small percentage of total fundraising that is more than offset by a huge surge in grassroots support.”
Hawley, widely seen as a likely presidential contender, said last week he will not be running for president in 2024, according to Business Insider. When asked by the outlet whether Trump should step aside and allow other candidates to make their interest in the top job known, Hawley demurred.
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask them,” he said. “Ask my colleagues.”
