Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson announced Thursday that he raised $4 million in the third quarter of 2016, less than the $5.2 million his Democratic opponent, Russ Feingold, said he raised over the last three months.
The incumbent Republican has been outraised by former Sen. Feingold over the last two years. Johnson has raised $15 million over the past two years, while Feingold has raised more than $20 million.
According to the latest RealClearPolitics polling average, Johnson’s funding shortfall reflects that he’s losing to Feingold, who he defeated in 2010 as part of the wave that saw Republicans take over the House of Representatives. Feingold has almost a 10-point advantage over Johnson with just over a month until election day.
But Johnson said he has $5.4 million in the bank for the final sprint ahead of election day next month, and Feingold hasn’t announced how much he has for the final few weeks. A Johnson spokesman poked at Feingold’s silence on how much he has left, and said Johnson’s campaign has the resources to win in November.
“We couldn’t help but notice that Senator Feingold isn’t saying how much money he has on hand in the home stretch,” spokesman Brian Reisinger said. “Could it be that like a typical Washington career politician, he’s wasted it?”
