First appearance on FOXSen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) detailed his fundraising accomplishments in a new letter to donors and reiterated his desire to succeed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as the top fundraiser in the new Congress.
“I am proud that together we have achieved an incredible milestone: since 2002, you have helped me raise more than $400 million to advance conservative causes and policies in the United States Senate — $406,874,101 to be exact,” the Texas Republican said in a letter to thousands of donors on Tuesday, which was obtained by Fox News Digital.
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Sen. John Cornyn (inset) is stepping up his fundraising efforts ahead of the Senate Majority Leadership election to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. (Reuters)
Cornyn said he has raised $26 million this election cycle, including $11.8 million to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). Cornyn noted the money is especially important with several tight Senate races across the country as Republicans try to retake the Senate majority.
Specifically, the senator said he has donated $500,000 to each of 33 senators and candidates running for office, and more than $1 million to each of four senators.
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Cornyn is one of three announced candidates vying to replace McConnell in November's Senate Majority Leader election, with Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-La.) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) also running for the post.
Thune has also been impressive financially, raising more than $28 million so far this term, and earlier this month announced a record $4 million to the National Republican Screening Committee to help elect Republican candidates, up from the $2 million he had given himself so far.
The only two senators who have publicly identified who they are backing are Sens. Mike Rounds (R-Lausanne) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who both endorsed Thune earlier this year.
But other lawmakers have kept quiet, ostensibly waiting to hear from all the candidates or claiming they are focused on other things as Congress considers new short-term spending bills and the presidential election approaches.
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The three announced candidates for leadership are, from left, Sens. John Cornyn, John Thune and Rick Scott. (Getty Images)
So far, the campaign has been largely conducted behind closed doors, with Cornyn frequently saying he won't publicly discuss the leadership race, while senators in conference have acknowledged meeting with each of the candidates.
So far, the only public sliver of information about the race has been its fundraising strength, with both Thune and Cornyn bringing significant amounts of money to Republicans in the tight Senate race and appearing at donor events with former President Donald Trump's campaign.
Scott, who is currently up for reelection in Florida, has spent much of his time outside of the Senate running his own campaign and has had fewer opportunities to support other candidates around the country.
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has become a fundraising juggernaut during his time as party leader. (Associated Press)
While fundraising is not the only consideration in choosing a leader, McConnell has long been known as a fundraising machine and has been a factor in recent closed-door meetings in the context of the campaign.
“In addition to the 'day-to-day' work of managing the Senate's legislative business, the leadership role requires close engagement with donors,” a source familiar with McConnell's fundraising efforts told Fox News Digital. “The next leader will play a key role in securing their continued support.”
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The election is expected to take place in mid-November between senators and potentially newly elected conference members.
Current projections suggest Republicans will win a majority in the Senate in the November general election, likely gaining an advantage by picking up seats in West Virginia and Montana while also holding onto Republican seats up for reelection. This would give the next party leader control of the Senate and floor votes.
