South Carolina Senate candidate Jaime Harrison raised a record-breaking $57 million in the past three months, a possible cause for concern for his opponent, incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Harrison, a former chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, surpassed the quarterly fundraising record for a Senate raised, almost tripling the $20 million raised by Beto O’Rourke in 2018, according to Axios.
Harrison’s campaign said it got 1.5 million donations from 994,000 donors, averaging at $37 each. Throughout the total campaign cycle, Harrison’s camp has raised $86 million.
“After 25 years in Washington, Lindsey Graham has changed into someone voters no longer recognize, and these resources will be instrumental in our efforts to send Lindsey home in November,” Guy King, Harrison’s campaign spokesperson, said.
Recent polls show Graham and Harrison in a dead heat battle heading into Election Day.
An analysis by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report also labeled the critical race as a “Toss Up,” moving it into a central position after it long was viewed in favor of Graham, a Republican.
Graham has taken notice of Harrison’s strong fundraising efforts, prompting the lawmaker to ask for donations during TV interviews.
“I’m getting overwhelmed,” Graham told Fox News host Sean Hannity last month. “LindseyGraham.com. Help me. They’re killing me, money-wise. Help me. You helped me last week — help me again. LindseyGraham.com.”
Harrison has painted Graham as a member of Congress he once respected to someone who sold himself to the power players in Washington, especially following the election victory of President Trump in 2016.
“I thought he was a good guy who could rise above the political freight, but what we have seen is he’s why people hate politics,” Harrison said earlier this week on ABC’s The View.
Graham has been a close ally of Trump, leading a high-profile inquiry into the origins of the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into links between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. He was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is poised to oversee the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett this week.
