PHILADELPHIA — Democrat John Fetterman had substantially more campaign money left to spend than Republican Mehmet Oz as they entered the final weeks of a close U.S. Senate race with national consequences.
Fetterman had $4.2 million in his campaign fund as of Sept. 30, while Oz had $2.5 million, according to public disclosures filed Saturday, reflecting how much firepower each campaign has for television ads and other campaigning as they sprint through the final weeks of a crucial race.
The totals came after Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, raised more than $22 million for his campaign in July, August and September, doubling his own record for a single quarter in a U.S. Senate race in the state. Oz raised about $9 million in that same period and in addition loaned his campaign $7 million from his own pocket.
In all, the celebrity surgeon has put $21 million of his own fortune into the Senate race as of Sept. 30.
Fetterman continues to rely on small donors to drive his campaign. He took in $10.5 million last quarter from people who have given less than $200, more than Oz raised in total.
Oz had previously struggled to raise money and mostly paid for his campaign himself, but the sharp uptick in fundraising likely reflects the national stakes of the race, and the Republican emphasis on holding the seat now occupied by Sen. Pat Toomey. Toomey isn’t seeking reelection.
The contest is one of a handful that could decide control of the Senate and, according to public polling, is close enough to swing either way.
Television advertising, including in expensive markets like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, is crucial in Pennsylvania’s statewide races.
Oz also has help from a dedicated super PAC, American Leadership Action, that raised $8.4 million in the last quarter and spent most of that amount, $7.8 million, mostly on ads attacking Fetterman.
As of Sept. 30, the group had about $940,000 left.
The group’s biggest supporters include some of the biggest GOP donors in Pennsylvania. Montgomery County investor Jeff Yass, the state’s richest citizen and a Republican mega-donor, gave the group $2 million. So did Walter Buckley Jr., a longtime GOP donor who founded an investment company. Another $1 million came from Stephen Schwarzman, the CEO of the New York investment firm the Blackstone Group.
The group’s donors also include companies tied to the oil and gas industry, and several $50,000 donations tied to New Jersey real estate interests.
Super PACs are allowed to collect checks above the usual $5,800 limit for individual donors, but are barred from formally coordinating with campaigns. But they pay higher rates for TV ads than candidates, who are entitled by law to the lowest rate possible.
Fetterman, who has criticized the role of big money in politics, doesn’t have a similar super PAC.
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