Fox's first appearance: Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R.S.D.) is campaigning in battleground states in the lead-up to the election, boosting the GOP's bid to become the next leader and seize the Senate majority.
The Senate is in recess through October and won't reconvene until after the election, but Thune's momentum appears to be undiminished in the meantime. This weekend, the minority whip will be in Nevada for an event with Senate candidate Sam Brown, who is backing vulnerable Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), sources said. shared with Fox News Digital.
Brown, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick, Michigan Senate candidate former Rep. Mike Rogers, and the National Republican Party. He is heading to New York City to raise money for a Senate committee. (NRSC).
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Thun had planned a similar trip in August. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The same source told Fox News Digital later that month that Thune will join McCormick in Pennsylvania, Indiana Senate candidate Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Montana Senate candidate Tim Sheehy. He said it was planned.
He also plans a series of events with several senators who are not up for re-election as he seeks to secure more support in the Republican conference.
“This is an insider game,” Ron Bonjean, a former chief of staff for the Senate Republican Conference, told Fox News Digital about the leadership race.
“John Thune is showing enthusiasm and playing his inside game. By going to America, he is showing the enthusiasm of his people.”
“They'll remember that Mr. Thune was there in the weeks leading up to the election,” said Bonjean, who served as a spokesman for Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott when he was majority leader. Ta.
“Money is important, but so is attendance. If you can do both, it can really do wonders for getting votes in the Senate.”
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Mr. Sheehy is favored to unseat the incumbent senator. (Getty Images)
Thune is one of three leadership candidates announced, along with Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
Cornyn established himself as a prolific fundraiser during his time in office, a factor that is sure to factor into the race given outgoing Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's reputation as a fundraising titan. is.
A person familiar with the political activities of the Texas Republican Party told FOX News Digital, “Senator Cornyn has visited multiple battleground states across the country to campaign with candidates during the October recess, and has continued to do so over the past 20 years. We are planning to collect precious hard dollars as we have done.” Over $400 million since 2002. ”
His record fundraising is something he has been trying to highlight in recent days, sending a letter this week to his donor network highlighting the data and also giving $500,000 to 33 different Republican senators and candidates over the years. It also stated that it had donated and had raised more than $1. $1 million each to four senators.
This cycle, Cornyn brought $26 million to the Republican Party and $11.8 million specifically to the NRSC. He notably served as NRSC Chair twice and was praised for his leadership in that role.
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Cornyn pointed to his strong fundraising history. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Thune has raised more than $29 million this cycle, and a source told Fox News Digital that the South Dakota senator expects to reach $30 million during his October trip.
Recently, he announced a record $4 million transfer to the NRSC to support competitive racing. The previous record holder was Thun, whose previous transfer fee was $2 million. The source said the minority party member's lifetime transfer to the Republican campaign arm now exceeds $9 million. The leadership candidate is the most active senator on the NRSC this term, second only to NRSC Chairman Steve Daines (R-Mont.).
At a recent fundraiser for former President Donald Trump's campaign in Washington, D.C., Thune brought in $2 million, half of the night's total fundraising, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The source also detailed that minority whips have headlined or are scheduled to headline nearly 200 events so far this cycle for either Republican candidates or the NRSC. did.
Mr. Thun has been the most active of the leadership candidates ahead of the election, making a similar onslaught in battleground states during the Senate recess in August. But Cornyn remains busy in Texas, a state known for its fundraising potential.
“Texas has a huge concentration of wealthy donors with conservative values,” said one national Republican strategist.
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Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Thune and Mr. Scott announced they would run for leader. (Getty Images)
Mr. Cornyn participated in a series of fundraisers in the state alongside Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance's campaigns, and also traveled to Ohio and Pennsylvania to raise money for Mr. Moreno and Mr. McCormick. The Texas Republican has been fundraising for his colleagues for years and increased his contributions around 2008.
Scott currently faces an unfavorable situation in his bid for re-election. As Florida endures hurricane-turned-tropical storm conditions, the senator is understood to be spending his time focusing on the storm and the safety of his constituents.
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After that, Scott is expected to spend much of his time campaigning for re-election within the state, and has less ability to travel around the country than his off-cycle counterpart.
Notably, Mr. Thune is the only candidate so far to receive public support from his colleagues, with Sen. Mike Rounds (R.S.D.) and Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R. (Oklahoma State).
