WASHINGTON _ Jamie Harrison, the Democrat challenging Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, raised more money in the third quarter _ $57 million _ than any other Senate candidate in history.
The record fundraising haul is an indicator of Democratic intensity in the 2020 election as the party attempts to retake the Senate majority. Graham hasn't yet released his third-quarter fundraising figures.
The South Carolina race between Harrison and Graham was recently put in the tossup category by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Recent polls show the two men tied in the heavily Republican state, which President Donald Trump won by 14 percentage points in 2016. Graham won his previous election, in 2014, by more than 16 percentage points.
At least 10 GOP senators are in competitive races for the Nov. 3 vote. Democrats would need a net gain of three Senate seats to gain control of the chamber if Democrat Joe Biden wins the presidency, and four if Trump wins reelection.
The previous quarterly record for a Senate candidate was set by Democrat Beto O'Rourke in his unsuccessful attempt to unseat Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
