First appearance on FOXSen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) hit the fourth-quarter fundraising milestone just months before the election for Senate Republican leader as he tries to fend off a challenger in his bid to succeed incumbent top fundraiser and House Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
According to a source familiar with the Texas senator’s political activities, he and his joint fundraising committee, the Cornyn Victory Committee (CVC), recently finished their highest fundraising quarter ever. CVC raised $3.5 million in the second quarter of 2024, the source said.
This brings Senator Cornyn’s total to nearly $23 million so far in the 2024 election cycle. This total includes CVC fundraising, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) funds the Senator has raised for candidates across Texas, and money he has raised for Republican candidates nationwide.
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Sen. John Cornyn hit a fundraising milestone in his bid for Senate Republican leader. (Getty Images)
The Texas Republican has been the conference’s top Senate fundraiser outside of McConnell since 2009.
Cornyn launched the CVC joint fundraising committee in 2021 to support Republicans ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Cornyn’s efforts during the election season raised a total of $20 million, more than nearly every other Senate Republican except for McConnell and fellow leadership challenger Rick Scott, R-Fla.
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McConnell announced in February that he would step down in November. (Associated Press)
With several months still left in fundraising for candidates this term, Cornyn has already surpassed that total by $3 million.
McConnell, 82, announced in February that he would step down as party leader in November. The Kentucky senator has led the Republican Party since 2007, making him the longest-serving leader of both parties in US history.
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Thune, Scott and Cornyn have three announced candidates for Republican leadership. (Getty Images)
Republican leaders have long been known for their fundraising prowess, a skill that has been passed down to lower-ranking Republicans as the party seeks to consolidate its base in Congress. McConnell and his fundraising arm have raised roughly $400 million in the 2022 election cycle, and the next leader who succeeds him will have to try to live up to the expectations McConnell set.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.C.) and Sen. Scott are also running in the leadership race, but Republicans are widely expected to see more candidates enter the race after the November election.
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Cornyn is stepping up fundraising in his bid to become party leader. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Senator Thune is currently the No. 2 Republican senator and has the support of two of his GOP colleagues to run for party leader. Sources told Fox News Digital that, like Senator Cornyn, Senator Thune has demonstrated fundraising muscle, raising $19 million so far in the 2024 election cycle.
As conference members debate the next leader, there has been an internal dispute over term limits for the post, which McConnell strongly opposes, people familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital about the closed-door meeting. One of McConnell’s points was that frequent changes in leadership and a lack of stability could hinder his ability to raise funds.
