Republican Senate candidate John James posted huge fundraising numbers in the first quarter of 2020, as he tries to unseat Democrat incumbent Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI). This marks the third quarter in a row that James has outraised Sen. Peters, who is struggling with name identification in his own state.
.@JohnJamesMI campaign says it raised $4.8 million in the first quarter of 2020. This is the third quarter in a row that James outraised @GaryPeters https://t.co/bVuZ1FJbFV
— Malachi Barrett (@PolarBarrett) April 7, 2020
?? Republican John James posting huge fundraising numbers in Michigan U.S. Senate race ??
— Nathan Brand (@NathanBrandWA) April 7, 2020
James (R): $4.8 Million
Peters (D): $4.0 Million
This is the third quarter in a row that James has outraised incumbent Democrat Peters#LetsFlyMI ???? #MIsen https://t.co/ZWAS18aQ97
November’s Senate contest in Michigan is shaping up to be a competitive battleground state. James ran for Senate in 2018, during the Democratic ‘Blue Wave,’ but lost to 20-year incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) by a mere six points in a tough electoral year for the GOP. Sen. Peters is a much more vulnerable incumbent; in a 2019 Morning Consult poll, 40 percent of Michigan voters did not recognize the name of their junior Senator.
Sen. Peters's campaign recently rolled out a "resource" website for Michigan residents affected by COVID-19, but keeping in line with the trend of other Democratic Senate candidates, the campaign used the global health pandemic to fundraise:
Sen. Gary Peters campaign set up a campaign page with "resources" about the Coronavirus pandemic, but as soon as you sign up Peters asks for a campaign donation.
— Tori Sachs (@Tori_Sachs) April 6, 2020
Pretty disgusting and pathetic to fundraise off Coronavirus info. #MISen https://t.co/514tzATCcE
Sen. Chuck Schumer appears to be prepping to bail out an unpopular, unknown Sen. Peters. Senate Majority PAC, closely aligned with Sen. Schumer, spent $3 million on ads in the last three weeks attacking James.
With the latest $1.3 million independent expenditure report filed today, the Democratic Senate Majority PAC has spent over $3 million in the last three weeks on ads opposing Republican #MISen candidate @JohnJamesMI pic.twitter.com/m7c38CGRem
— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) April 6, 2020
President Trump won Michigan by a slim margin over Hillary Clinton in 2016, and James is a close ally of the president. Former Vice President Joe Biden is admittedly vetting Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) for vice president, after vowing to select a woman as his running mate if he clinches the Democratic nomination. Gov. Whitmer has joined Biden in using COVID-19 as an excuse to attack President Trump:
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in a 'that woman from Michigan' shirt, on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah last night https://t.co/6yIOSoV5ZP pic.twitter.com/VcUdudSWdt
— Jonathan Oosting (@jonathanoosting) April 2, 2020
As Biden's ability to fundraise and keep up on the campaign trail depletes, and with a young, popular GOP Senate candidate on the ballot, Michigan is undoubtedly at play in November.