July 15, 2020 12:20 PM UTC

Hickenlooper Reports Another Monster Fundraising Quarter

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: Gardner raised $3.6 million in Q2, meaning Hickenlooper has now outraised the incumbent in three consecutive fundraising quarters. Gardner has $10.7 million cash on hand, which is about $1 million more than he had in the bank after Q1; in other words, Gardner’s burn rate is not great. Hickenlooper has $4.6 million cash on hand despite having to spend significant resources in advance of the June 30 Primary.

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As The Associated Press reports:

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s Senate campaign reports a $5.2 million fundraising haul over the past three months, calling it a record for any Senate candidate in state history. [Pols emphasis]

Hickenlooper’s haul is significant, though it comes as his fellow Democratic hopefuls have been shattering Senate fundraising records nationally. Hickenlooper in November will be facing Sen. Cory Gardner, who is considered the most vulnerable Republican senator up for reelection. Hickenlooper, a former presidential candidate, outraised Gardner in the first three months of the year.

Today is the reporting deadline for Q2 federal fundraising numbers, so we should know by the end of the day how incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) fared in the money department. Hickenlooper’s $5.2 million Q2 is nearly a million dollars more than the previous quarterly record in Colorado…which was held by Gardner ($4.3 million in Q3 2014).

Hickenlooper’s Senate campaign has now set fundraising records in three consecutive quarters, following a $2.8 million haul in Q4 2019 and $4.1 million in Q1 2020. Hickenlooper outraised Gardner by 65% in the first quarter of this year, though Gardner entered Q2 with more cash on hand because he’s been raising money for six years (Hickenlooper entered the 2020 Senate race last August).

It would not be a surprise if Gardner again fails to report a strong financial quarter. As POLITICO reported earlier this week, Senate Republicans are growing increasingly nervous about falling behind their Democratic counterparts when it comes to fundraising. A weak Q2 would put Gardner in further danger of being ultimately abandoned by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) as Republicans try to save their narrow majority.