Secretary of State John Merrill and former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore on Monday became the latest of Alabama’s 2020 Republican U.S. Senate candidates to release their second quarter fundraising numbers, with the results on the opposite end of the spectrum.
According to his own social media posts, Merrill raised $217,000 in just the 12 days from becoming a candidate and the end of June, concluding the quarter with over $215,000 cash on hand. Merrill formally announced on June 25 after initially filing as a candidate with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) seven days prior.
“No other campaign has raised as much in such a short period of time. Alabama wants a proven conservative winner in the United States Senate and only our campaign will give them that opportunity!” Merrill said.
On the other hand, Moore raised $16,964 in the quarter after announcing his bid on June 20, per his FEC filing. The 2017 nominee has $16,224 on hand as of June 30.
While Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-01) raised the most of the GOP Senate candidates during the second quarter, Merrill’s initial fundraising pace now leads the pack.
Last quarter, which began April 1, Byrne raised over $750,000. As of the quarter’s end, he has almost $2.5 million cash on hand in his Senate account after entering the second quarter with slightly over $2 million.
Former Auburn head football coach Tommy Tuberville’s and State Rep. Arnold Mooney’s (R-Indian Springs) second quarter fundraising numbers were also strong.
Tuberville raised just over $420,000 last quarter, while Mooney brought in a bit under $300,000. Tuberville also loaned his campaign an additional $1 million, putting his cash-on-hand at over $1.3 million at the quarter’s end after expenses.
Mooney’s campaign has emphasized that their $300,000 haul came just over a 30-day period, as Mooney himself did not start making fundraising calls and personal overtures until the end of the Alabama legislature’s 2019 regular session. However, it should be noted that he announced on May 6 and his campaign sent out a direct fundraising email on May 9.
Tuberville entered the race on April 6 but did not have a fundraiser on staff until a few weeks into his bid.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
