Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for the key battleground state's open U.S. Senate seat, raised $11 million in the second quarter of 2022, his campaign announced Tuesday.
Fetterman's best-ever quarterly fundraising haul smashed Pennsylvania's previous record for money raised by a Senate candidate over a three-month period.
"I truly cannot thank all of our supporters enough," Fetterman said in a statement. "The outpouring of support for our campaign since we became Pennsylvania's Democratic Senate nominee has just been extraordinary."
Fetterman cruised to victory in Pennsylvania's Democratic primary in May, and recent polls show him with a six- to nine-point lead over Dr. Mehmet Oz, the far-right celebrity television doctor and Trump-backed Republican nominee vying to replace the state's retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey.
"We're well on our way to flipping this seat in November with your help," said Fetterman. "To date in our campaign, we've received donations from over 109,000 donors in Pennsylvania, which could fill both Heinz Field and PNC Park at the same time."
Fetterman added that he and his wife Gisele "are overwhelmed with gratitude for the support that we have received. Thank you."
Long an outspoken advocate for economic, environmental, and social justice, the former 14-year mayor of Braddock—a Pittsburgh-area steel town hard-hit by deindustrialization—has received donations from every one of Pennsylvania's 67 counties and over 88% of its zip codes since launching his Senate campaign last February.
Pennsylvania's Democratic Senate nominee has also garnered support from people across the country. According to his campaign, Fetterman received more than 358,000 donations from over 200,000 unique donors nationwide in the second quarter alone, including contributions from more than 139,000 first-time donors.
That 69% of Fetterman's second-quarter donors were new is indicative of his "ever-expanding support," the campaign said. Since announcing his candidacy, Fetterman has raised $26 million from more than 330,000 unique donors who have contributed nearly 900,000 times.
Like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during his 2016 and 2020 runs for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, Fetterman is harnessing the power of thousands of ordinary working-class donors to challenge bipartisan neoliberalism.
To date, the average donation to Fetterman is $29.97, with virtually all contributions coming in at under $200 and more than 94% totaling $100 or less. As a result, said his campaign, more than 99.99% of donors "have not given the maximum contribution and can give again and again."
"This is going to be one of the most expensive campaigns in the country, and we need all the support we can get to compete," said Fetterman's campaign manager Brendan McPhillips. "We're going up against an ultra-millionaire who can pour millions of dollars of his own money into this campaign, and who has the backing of the special interest groups that fear John."
Last month, Fetterman released an ad highlighting Oz's massive wealth, noting that the Republican nominee and his wife only recently bought a house—their ninth property around the globe—in Pennsylvania.
The Democratic nominee trolled his GOP opponent on Sunday by flying an airplane banner along the Jersey Shore to sarcastically welcome Oz to the New Jersey mansion where he has long resided.
In sharp contrast to Oz's Koch- and self-financed bid, McPhillips noted that Fetterman's campaign "is funded solely by our grassroots supporters and donors kicking in a couple bucks at a time."
Fetterman is the only candidate in the race who has won statewide in Pennsylvania. After defeating sitting Lt. Gov. Mike Stack in the 2018 Democratic primary, Fetterman joined Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's ticket for the general election and helped beat their Republican opponents by 17 percentage points.
Moreover, with Fetterman as his running mate, Wolf garnered almost one million more votes than he did in 2014. In addition, the pair was victorious in Beaver County, Berks County, Cumberland County, Erie County, and Luzerne County, all jurisdictions that Democrats have struggled to win in recent years.
This content originally appeared on Common Dreams - Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community and was authored by Kenny Stancil.
Kenny Stancil | Radio Free (2022-07-12T13:17:51+00:00) ‘People-Powered’: John Fetterman Raises $11 Million in Second Quarter. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2022/07/12/people-powered-john-fetterman-raises-11-million-in-second-quarter/
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