The leading Republican candidates in Alabama’s 2020 U.S. Senate race have released their latest fundraising numbers.
Friday was the deadline to submit reports covering the fourth quarter of 2019 to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Just over four weeks remain until the March 3 primary.
Former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville raised by far the most in Q4: $531,487.
Tuberville’s campaign advised Yellowhammer News that nearly 85% of that total amount derived from donations under $200.
As of December 31, Tuberville’s campaign had $1,523,738 cash-on-hand.
“The people of our state are sick and tired of career politicians,” Tuberville said in a statement. “Our fundraising quarter shows that people are ready for a change in Washington. It is time to send Doug Jones home and elect someone who will have our President’s back through thick and thin.”
Next, the campaign of former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that he raised $312,060 in the quarter. Of that total, $126,734 was raised from political action committees.
It should be noted that Sessions was only a candidate 54 days during the period, as he declared his candidacy right before the qualifying deadline.
Sessions’ latest filing stated that he had $2,542,974 cash-on-hand as of December 31.
John Rogers, spokesman for the Sessions campaign, said in a statement, “Today’s campaign fundraising announcement is terrible news for Doug Jones and his pals in Washington. They know they cannot beat Jeff Sessions in the general election. Jeff Sessions has strong support throughout the state because Alabamians want a fighter in the U.S. Senate.”
“The people of Alabama want a pro-Trump conservative who will never bow to the swamp in Washington,” he continued. “That’s who Jeff Sessions is. He is a fighter for everything Alabamians believe in — less government, fewer taxes, securing our borders, and protecting our religious freedoms. We are in a strong position heading into the final four weeks of the primary.”
Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-01) raised $216,751 during the final quarter of 2019 and will report over $2.1 million cash-on-hand as of year-end. Byrne’s campaign stressed that led the field in fundraising for all of 2019, raising over $2.5 million in total throughout the year.
Byrne last year announced his candidacy February 20, compared to Tuberville declaring his candidacy on April 6 and Sessions on November 7.
Referring to a recent Sessions internal poll, Byrne campaign manager Seth Morrow said in a statement, “Bradley has already moved into second place, and we have the resources in the bank necessary to keep the momentum going.”
“Our campaign is entirely focused on earning votes one person at a time, winning this primary, and defeating Doug Jones come November,” he added.
Additionally, State Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Indian Springs), who has consistently polled a distant fifth in the current field due to lower name identification, raised $246,036 during Q4. As of December 31, his campaign had $321,629 cash-on-hand.
Finally, former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who has also trailed the field in fundraising in previous quarters, raised $46,807 during Q4. His campaign reported $44,115 cash-on-hand as of December 31.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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