Hartzler pulls in $446,000 for Missouri Senate bid with $1.65M on hand

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) pulled in just over $446,000 in the third quarter of the year for her Senate bid in Missouri, and is on track to lead the pack of GOP hopefuls in cash on hand, according to fundraising numbers shared with The Hill. 

Hartzler’s top rival for the Republican Senate nomination, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, bested her in sheer fundraising over the past three months, raking in about $646,000 between July 1 and Sept. 30.

But Hartzler is set to enter the last stretch of 2021 with more than $1.65 million in the bank, putting her ahead of Schmitt’s nearly $1.2 million. 

The field of GOP candidates vying to replace retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) next year has ballooned to 10, and includes well-known Republicans like Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) and Eric Greitens, Missouri’s controversial former governor who resigned in 2018 amid scandal. 

Since mounting his campaign earlier this year, Greitens has sought to tie himself closely to former President Trump and his associates, and has scored endorsements from Trump World figures like Michael Flynn, who served briefly as the former president’s national security adviser.

Greitens hasn’t announced his third-quarter fundraising numbers yet, but at the end of June, his campaign had only about $134,000 in the bank, putting him well behind both Hartzler and Schmitt. 

In a statement, Hartzler’s campaign manager Mike Hafner touted her latest fundraising numbers as a sign of strength as the Senate primary begins to ramp up, putting her on track to compete in 2022, especially against Greitens.

“Vicky is a fighter and these latest totals reaffirm her fundraising strength and ability to connect with supporters across Missouri,” Hafner said. “Vicky is the best-positioned candidate to take on Eric Greitens and deliver the common sense conservative values and leadership that Missourians expect and deserve.”