Kingston raises $880K for fourth quarter

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) raised $880,000 in the fourth quarter of 2013, keeping up a strong fundraising pace for his Senate campaign.

Kingston now has $3.2 million in the bank after posting the strongest fundraising quarter of the campaign. He brought in $800,000 the previous quarter.

He is facing off against a half-dozen other Republicans for the nomination to succeed Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), who is retiring, and is the preferred candidate of some establishment Republicans. Others in the race include fellow Reps. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) and Paul Broun (R-Ga.), former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel (R) and wealthy businessman David Perdue (R).

{mosads}Perdue has the ability to self-fund, and Gingrey began the race with a large warchest, though his fundraising pace hasn’t been as rapid as Kingston’s. Handel and Broun have struggled with fundraising so far. None of the other GOP candidates have released their fundraising figures. 

Democrats have coalesced around former charity executive Michelle Nunn, who has kept up a torrid fundraising pace. Nunn announced earlier this week that she raised $1.6 million in the last three months of 2013.

If a weaker GOP nominee emerges from the field, Democrats think they have an even better shot in the changing state with Nunn. The daughter of former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), the former charity executive has gotten cross-party support, including a donation from former Sen. Dick Lugar’s (R-Ind.) Political Action Committee.