WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey raised more than $4 million between April and June, new campaign finance reports show, marking the top fundraising quarter of his tenure after announcing a bid for a fourth term.
Mr. Casey, D-Pa., had about $5.9 million in his campaign account as of June 30, according to quarterly U.S. Federal Election Commission records released Sunday. Donations of less than $50 made up almost three-quarters of the haul, which comes as Mr. Casey’s campaign continues to warn supporters and potential donors that Republicans with deep pockets are making his seat a top 2024 target.
The 63-year-old son of a former governor and the first Pennsylvania Democrat to serve three consecutive Senate terms, Mr. Casey is gearing up for another battleground state contest without a GOP opponent — yet.
But former hedge fund CEO, veteran and George W. Bush administration official David McCormick is eyeing a run. A political action committee launched by Mr. McCormick raised more than $1 million between May 2 and June 5, the bulk coming from a single $1 million donation from Jeffrey Yass, Pennsylvania’s wealthiest resident and a longtime GOP mega-donor.
While the majority of donations to Mr. Casey were small, his campaign received maximum donations of $3,300 from several business executives, investors and philanthropists across the U.S., including Sky Group CEO Dana Strong, Charlesbank Capital Partners’ managing director Michael Eisenson, real estate investment firm LCP Group founder Robert Roskind, and Berkshire Group co-founder George Krupp.
Mr. Casey’s campaign reported roughly $1.6 million in operational expenses, with the biggest individual expense totaling more than $20,000 to Campaign Finance Consultants, Inc., a major Democratic fundraising consulting service.
Overall donations to Mr. Casey’s campaign totaled $4,103,846.55, including almost $3.3 million in individual donations and more than $843,000 from dozens of political action committees.
Mr. Casey had about $3.2 million in his campaign account at the end of March, federal filings show. If his campaign continues at the same fundraising pace, he’s certainly on track to eclipse the $8.6 million he had on hand for re-election by the start of 2018.
“This impressive fundraising quarter shows Bob Casey is one of the most formidable incumbent senators in the country, with the statewide support to prove it,” Tiernan Donohue, Mr. Casey’s campaign manager, said in a statement before the quarterly report was filed with the FEC this weekend.
Mr. McCormick has said for months that he’s considering a run for Mr. Casey’s seat, and prominent Republican consultants and lawmakers are urging him to enter the race. His Senate campaign committee shows an outstanding debt of more than $14 million, but that’s technically money that Mr. McCormick owes himself, as he helped self-fund his campaign in last year’s GOP Senate primary to the tune of $14,398,736.
Mr. McCormick lost last year by fewer than 1,000 votes to Dr. Mehmet Oz, who then lost to Democrat John Fetterman in one of the country’s most expensive Senate races.
Mr. Fetterman’s campaign committee raised more than $717,000 and reported almost $616,000 in operating expenses between April and June, according to an FEC filing. The campaign had $1,079,516 in cash at the end of June.
Benjamin Kail: bkail@post-gazette.com; @bkail
First Published: July 16, 2023, 4:27 p.m.
Updated: July 17, 2023, 9:49 a.m.
