DEM CHALLENGER IN S. C. SENATE RACE RAISES $ 57 MILLION

COLUMBIA, S. C. » South Carolina Democrat Jaime Harrison has shattered congressional fundraising records, bringing in $ 57 million in the final quarter for his U. S. Senate campaign against Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham as the GOP tries to retain control of the chamber in the Nov. 3 election.

Harrison’s campaign said Sunday the total was the largest- ever during a single three- month period by any Senate candidate. That tops the $ 38 million raised by Democrat Beto O’Rourke in 2018 in the final fundraising period of his challenge to Sen. Ted Cruz, R- Texas, who won the race.

The third- quarter amount brings Harrison’s overall campaign fundraising to $ 86 million. Attributing the success to grassroots support, Harrison’s campaign said the

$ 57 million came in the form of

1.5 million donations from 994,000 donors. The average contribution was $ 37.

Graham hasn’t released fundraising totals for the latest quarter, although it’s likely he’s been eclipsed by Harrison, an associate Democratic National Committee chairman and former lobbyist. Last month, Graham made a public fundraising plea to help him keep up with Harrison, saying on Fox News he was “getting killed financially” by Harrison, who he predicted would “raise $ 100 million.”

In a statement Sunday, Graham questioned whether the money would have any real effect on South Carolina’s electorate, which has not voted in a Democratic Senate candidate since the 1998 reelection of Sen. Fritz Hollings.