U.S. Sen. David Perdue is quickly restocking his campaign coffers for what’s expected to be a tough re-election bid.
The first-term Georgia Republican is set to report that he raised about $1.9 million during the latest reporting period, which spans from April to June. He has roughly $4.9 million in cash on hand.
That total doesn’t include another $500,000 or so raised over the same span for a pro-Perdue political action committee. And it nearly mirrors his first-quarter fundraising efforts, when he raised around $1.8 million.
Perdue’s top strategist, Derrick Dickey, said the haul shows that Perdue “is an outsider with a proven record of results that will be hard to beat.”
“Still,” he added, “Georgia is a top target for Democrats, and they have shown they will do whatever it takes to defeat Senator Perdue and President Trump in 2020.”
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Democrats see Georgia as crucial to flipping control of the U.S. Senate, and they’re eager to build on their recent successes across metro Atlanta’s suburbs. But Republicans hope an election-year surge will fuel Perdue’s re-election.
Read more: A Stacey Abrams-less Georgia Senate race is about to heat up
So far, only one major Democratic contender is in the race: Former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, who reported over the weekend that she's raised about $520,000 since she entered the race in April. She also loaned her campaign another $30,000.
The contest is expected to get more crowded. Sarah Riggs Amico, who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor last year, is likely to jump in the race within weeks. And former 6th District candidate Jon Ossoff is among other potential contenders eyeing the seat.
Republicans are giddy that higher-profile contenders passed on the race. Gubernatorial runner-up Stacey Abrams and former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates both passed on a bid, frustrating Democrats aiming to attract a national figure to challenge Perdue.
The solid numbers come as little surprise: Perdue has long been a formidable fundraiser, building upon the same network that helped elect his first cousin, ex-Gov. Sonny Perdue.
A former Fortune 500 chief executive, Perdue emerged from a loaded Republican primary in 2014 thanks to an outsider-themed message. He’s since become a stalwart ally of Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp, and both are certain to help his re-election bid.
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