Sen. Pat Toomey’s campaign announced a $2 million fundraising number in the third quarter as the Pennsylvania Republican readies himself for a big re-election effort next fall.
According to Steve Kelly, the campaign’s spokesman, Toomey raised the money from just under 10,000 unique contributors, with 85 percent of the donations under $200.
Overall, Toomey has $8.6 million in the bank heading into the fourth quarter, per the campaign. The incumbent currently holds a strong fundraising advantage over whoever his potential Democratic challenger.
“We’re seeing strong support from every corner of the commonwealth for Pat’s common sense, principled, approach to creating jobs, cleaning up the fiscal mess in Washington, and keeping our communities safe,” Kelly said in a statement announcing the figure.
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Currently, the top two Democrats vying for the spot are Katie McGinty, who most recently served as Gov. Tom Wolf’s chief of staff, and former Rep. Joe Sestak, who lost to Toomey narrowly in 2010. McGinty recently announced a $1 million haul in the third quarter, with $900k cash on hand.
Meanwhile, Sestak has struggled with fundraising, having raised only $728,000 in the second quarter, and having over $2 million in the bank. The retired admiral and has not released his third quarter stats as of yet. They are due to be published at midnight Thursday.
In addition, Toomey currently leads the two Democrats in polling nearly a year out from election day. According to the latest Quinnipiac Poll, Toomey leads both by substantial margins, with Sestak trailing 49-34, and McGinty losing out 51-31.
The seat is expected to be hotly contested given the presidential race. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton currently leads Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders among Keystone State Democrats with 36 percent support, while her main opponents trail with 25 percent and 19 percent, respectively.
