Democratic Senate campaign arm raised nearly $27M in August

Senate Democrats’ campaign arm raised nearly $27 million in August as it looks to beef up its war chest heading into Election Day.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) announced in a press release Friday it hauled in $26.9 million last month, its best monthly fundraising haul in history. The DSCC also spent almost $26 million last month and headed into September with $41 million in the bank.

The August figures are a marked increase from July, when the DSCC raised $13.1 million and was outraised by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), its GOP counterpart. The NRSC has not yet released its August fundraising numbers and had $16.4 million cash on hand at the end of July.

The DSCC said 86 percent of its fundraising last month came from grassroots donations online, over the phone and in the mail, and that it has received more than 2.3 million individual online donations so far this cycle.

“The grassroots community continues to show up for our work to flip the Senate, and this record-shattering report would not have been possible without their support,” said DSCC Chairwoman Catherine Cortez Masto. “The momentum behind Democratic Senate candidates will continue to fuel these races through these final crucial weeks and provide critical resources to ensure we reach voters across these battleground states.”

The DSCC has used its expansive war chest to launch new investments in a number of competitive Senate races, including announcing seven-figure drops in South Carolina and Texas. 

The news of the August fundraising haul comes as Democrats and Republicans fight for control of the Senate, which election handicappers say is essentially a toss up.

Democrats must gain a net of three or four seats to gain control of the chamber depending on who wins the White House. The GOP is going on offense in Alabama against Sen. Doug Jones (D), while Democrats are looking to unseat Republican lawmakers in a number of competitive states, including Arizona, Colorado, Maine, North Carolina, Iowa, Montana and Georgia.