Warnock rakes in more than $26M over three months

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) pulled in more than $26 million over the past three months, extending his run of record-shattering fundraising hauls as he enters the final stretch before Election Day.

Warnock’s campaign said that he raised $26.3 million in the third quarter of the year, ending September with $13.7 million in the bank. The fundraising total is roughly $9 million more than he reported raising between April 1 and June 30.

The campaign touted the massive haul as a sign of momentum for the Georgia Democrat as he seeks his first full term in the Senate after winning a special election early last year.

Despite the staggering fundraising total, Warnock is still fighting one of the most competitive reelection bids in the country. Recent polling shows his Republican opponent, former football star Herschel Walker, narrowing the gap with Warnock.

While polling averages suggest that Warnock still has a narrow lead in the race, a survey from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the University of Georgia released last month showed Walker with a 2-point edge. Another candidate, Libertarian Chase Oliver, notched 3 percent support in that poll.

Walker hasn’t yet disclosed his third-quarter fundraising haul, but his latest federal report showed his campaign with just $6.8 million on hand — a mere fraction of the $22 million Warnock had at the end of June.

The race is one of several that could determine which party controls the Senate next year. Republicans need to net just one seat in November to recapture their majority, and Georgia has emerged as a premier battleground.