Senate GOP’s campaign arm rakes in $75M as Georgia runoffs heat up

The Senate GOP’s campaign arm raised $75 million over the past month as the battle over two runoffs in Georgia heats up.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) confirmed to The Hill that it raised $75 million in fundraising from Oct. 15 through Nov. 23. Some of that money was used in the home stretch of the previously scheduled races that took place on Nov. 3, but much of those funds has been targeted toward the Jan. 5 runoff, which will determine which party controls the Senate in the next Congress. 

The fundraising haul was first reported by Fox News.

The two Senate runoffs will pit Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) against Rev. Raphael Warnock and Sen David Perdue (R) against documentary filmmaker Jon Ossoff. The runoffs were scheduled after no candidate broke 50 percent in either race in November.

The GOP currently has a 50-48 advantage in the next Senate. Democrats will control the Senate if they win both races by a razor-thin 50-50 margin, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris able to cast tie-breaking votes.

To protect the two Senate seats, and control of the upper chamber, Republican outside groups have flooded Georgia with millions of dollars in outside spending to boost Loeffler and Perdue. The NRSC last month announced it would make “major investments” in Georgia. 

The investment comes amid GOP concerns that claims that the Nov. 3 elections in the state were rigged could convince Republican voters to boycott the two runoffs, potentially depressing turnout in an off-year election that is already expected to see a dip in the number of ballots cast.

Democrats too have announced an avalanche of investments in the state, with the party’s Senate campaign arm saying Monday it was expanding its multimillion dollar voter targeting and outreach efforts. 

Democrats have touted the importance of the two races in light of President-elect Joe Biden’s upcoming inauguration, noting that combined with control of the House and White House, they’d be able to have full control of the government if they flip the Senate and more easily pass Biden’s agenda.