April 16, 2026, 9:14 a.m.
Democratic Senate candidates continued to command the fundraising race in the first three months of 2026, outraising Republican opponents on average by 4 to 1 in battleground races, according to quarterly campaign finance reports filed on Wednesday.
Democrats were the fundraising leaders in all but one of Hotline’s 10 Senate seats most likely to flip. Democratic challengers running in GOP-held seats outraised Republican incumbents on average by roughly 2 to 1, but held less cash on hand entering this April.
The five biggest fundraisers of the period were Democrats. Texas state Rep. James Talarico amassed $27.1 million during the quarter, massively outpacing the Republican candidates, Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, and their respective $2.7 million and $1.7 million hauls. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia raised $14 million, adding to his $31.7 million war chest—the largest of any Senate candidate this cycle. Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper raised $8.8 million as he aims to flip his state’s open GOP-held seat.
Eight GOP incumbents, including Cornyn, were outraised by challengers during the period. In Ohio, former Sen. Sherrod Brown outraised Republican Sen. Jon Husted, $10.1 million to $2.9 million. In Alaska, former Rep. Mary Peltola outpaced GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan, $8.7 million to $1.7 million. In Maine, oyster farmer Graham Platner outraised GOP Sen. Susan Collins, $4.1 million to $3.1 million; Democratic Gov. Janet Mills raised $2.7 million.
Challengers outraised incumbent Republicans in deep red states, including Florida, Louisiana, Nebraska, and South Carolina. In Louisiana, two Republicans outraised Sen. Bill Cassidy ahead of next month’s primary. Rep. Julia Letlow amassed $3.9 million that included a $2.5 million transfer from her House campaign committee and $809,000 from a joint fundraising committee, state Treasurer John Fleming raised $2.5 million—thanks to a $2.5 million loan—and Cassidy collected $1.4 million.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Seth Moulton in Massachusetts outraised Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary, $1.1 million to $776,000, for the second quarter in a row.
While individual candidates struggle, GOP-aligned groups are dominating in fundraising. The GOP-aligned Senate Leadership Fund said it and One Nation, its nonprofit arm, raised $115 million during the quarter, with SLF boasting a $167 million war chest. The Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC said it and Majority Forward, its own nonprofit affiliate, raised $70.4 million during the same period, with SMP holding $74.8 million on hand.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee narrowly outraised the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, $11.4 million to $10.8 million, in February. The NRSC entered March with $32.7 million on hand, slightly more than the DSCC’s $30.2 million war chest.
Below is a rundown of the cash dash in the most competitive races, plus Hotline’s searchable database of campaign fundraising.
Top Races
North Carolina: Open (R)
Cooper: $8.8 million
Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley: $3.2 million
Maine: Collins (R)
Platner: $4.1 million
Collins: $3.1 million
Mills: $2.7 million
2024 nominee David Costello (D): $42,000, including a $30,000 candidate loan and a $2,000 candidate contribution
College professor Andrea LaFlamme (D): $6,000
Georgia: Ossoff (D)
Ossoff: $14 million
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-01): $1 million
Former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley (R): $664,000
Rep. Mike Collins (R-10): $470,000
Michigan: Open (D)
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D): $3 million
2018 GOV candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D): $2.3 million, including a $4,000 candidate contribution
2024 nominee Mike Rogers (R): $2.2 million
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-11): $2 million
Former Michigan GOP co-chair Bernadette Smith (R): $39,000
Ohio: Husted (R)
Brown: $10.1 million
Husted: $2.9 million
Former Libertarian National Committee Chairman Bill Redpath: $14,000, including a $2,000 candidate loan and a $4,000 candidate contribution
New Hampshire: Open (D)
Rep. Chris Pappas (D-02): $3.3 million
Former Sen. John E. Sununu (R): $1.1 million
Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.): $321,000
Science writer Karishma Manzur (D): $44,000
Alaska: Sullivan (R)
Peltola: $8.7 million
Sullivan: $1.7 million
Iowa: Open (R)
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-02): $2.4 million
State Rep. Josh Turek (D): $1.1 million
State Sen. Zach Wahls (D): $1.1 million
2022 candidate Jim Carlin (R): $47,000, including a $38,000 candidate loan
Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn (L): $4,000
Texas: Cornyn (R)
Talarico: $27.1 million
Cornyn: $2.9 million
Paxton: $1.7 million
Minnesota: Open (D)
Rep. Angie Craig (D-02): $2.5 million
Former sportscaster Michele Tafoya (R): $2 million, including a $5,000 candidate contribution
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D): $1.4 million
Former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze (R): $280,000, including a $40,000 candidate loan
Former Minnesota GOP Chair David Hann: $130,000
2024 nominee Royce White (R): $85,000
Former White House fellow Mark York (R): $56,000, including a $5,000 candidate contribution
2022 Minn.-03 nominee Tom Weiler (R): $23,000, including a $10,000 candidate contribution
Primaries to Watch
Alabama: Open (R)
Wholesale fuel executive Rodney Walker (R): $1.4 million, including a $1.3 million candidate loan
Rep. Barry Moore (R-01): $815,000
Former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson (R): $550,000
State Attorney General Steve Marshall (R): $209,000
Navy veteran Seth Burton (R): $58,000, including a $7,000 candidate contribution
Construction-company owner Kyle Sweetser (D): $39,000
Business executive Dakarai Larriett (D): $29,000
Louisiana: Cassidy (R)
Letlow: $3.9 million, including a $2.5 million transfer from her House campaign account
Fleming: $2.5 million, including a $2.5 million candidate loan
Cassidy: $1.4 million
Row-crop farmer Jamie Davis Jr. (D): $309,000
Technology executive Mark Spencer (R): $5,000, including a $5,000 candidate loan
Massachusetts: Markey (D)
Moulton: $1.1 million
Markey: $776,000
2024 nominee John Deaton (R): $138,000
Teacher Alex Rikleen (D): $15,000, including a $9,000 candidate loan
Kentucky: Open (R)
Rep. Andy Barr (R-06): $1.5 million
Waste-removal entrepreneur Nate Morris (R): $1 million, including a $450,000 candidate loan
2020 nominee Amy McGrath (D): $580,000
2023 GOV nominee Daniel Cameron (R): $456,000
2022 nominee Charles Booker (D): $291,000
Champion horse trainer Dale Romans (D): $58,000
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported Sen. Bill Cassidy's (R) quarterly total. He raised $1.4 million.
