Topline
Fundraising numbers filed with the Federal Election Commission have confirmed what was long suspected: the pivotal Georgia Senate runoffs that swung control of the Senate shattered records for how expensive they were, with the race between Jon Ossoff and David Perdue coming in as the costliest of all-time and the Raphael Warnock-Kelly Loeffler race following close behind.
Then-Georgia Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock greet each other onstage ... [+]
Key Facts
The Ossoff campaign raised $162.6 million in its successful challenge of incumbent Sen. David Perdue—by far the most money of any congressional candidate ever.
Warnock placed second with $147.1 million, still enough to be ahead of the candidate who had only recently set the old fundraising record, South Carolina Democrat Jaime Harrison, whose campaign racked up $130.2 million in its unsuccessful 2020 challenge of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
The Ossoff-Perdue race was the most expensive in history, with Perdue raising around $103 million for a combined total of $265.5 million raised between the two candidates.
The Warnock-Loeffler race wound up as the third most expensive of all-time, behind the Graham-Harrison race, after Loeffler raised $92.2 million for a combined amount in that race of $239.3 million.
Warnock defeated Loeffler in the runoff by winning just over 51% of the vote, with Ossoff winning his race by a smaller margin, gathering just over 50.6% of the vote.
Big Number
$937 million. Adding in outside money reported by the Center for Responsive Politics, that's how much cash was raised in all between the two Senate races.
Key Background
Runoffs were not unexpected in either of the races, given Georgia's election process and how close polling showed the contests, but the results of other Senate races across the country in November put Georgia in the dramatic position of solely deciding which party would control the U.S. Senate. Democrats faced an uphill battle following disappointing results in November contests, needing to unseat both of the Republican incumbents in the long reliably red state in order to claim the Senate by the slimmest of possible margins. But both Democratic candidates were helped by money that poured into Georgia after Joe Biden's narrow win there, making him the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry the state since Bill Clinton in 1992. Both of the Senate candidates wound up winning by a bigger margin than Biden, who defeated former President Donald Trump in Georgia by only around 12,000 votes, leading to a series of recounts affirming his win.
Surprising Fact
A massive chunk of Loeffler's fundraising was actually her own money. Around $23 million of the $92.2 million she reported raising was courtesy of a loan from herself.
Further Reading
The results are in: Ga. Senate races shatter donation, spending records (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Georgia Recertifies Biden’s Win After Trump-Ordered Recount Fails Again (Forbes)
