At one stage in this election cycle, Sen Marco Rubio of Florida was considered a heavy favourite to win re-election to a third term.
A well-known incumbent and former presidential candidate, Mr Rubio was running in a state that has trended Republican in recent years in an election that appeared to be shaping up promisingly for Republicans around the country. His seat, compared to seats in states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, was not thought to be a prime Democratic pickup opportunity.
But in recent weeks, the state of the race may well have changed. Following a surge in Democratic voter engagement and enthusiasm following the US Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v Wade, a University of North Florida poll conducted in mid-August found Mr Rubio trailing his Democratic opponent Rep Val Demings by four points.
Now, Mr Rubio is sounding the alarm about the state of his fundraising.
“We are being outraised by these far left Marxists who continue to give her 50 bucks a month or whatever a week,” Mr Rubio said during an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday.
Mr Rubio is still considered a favourite by elections predictors like the Cook Political Report and FiveThirtyEight. But the University of North Florida poll is not the only recent indication that Ms Demings may well be competitive against Mr Rubio.
Another poll, conducted by Change Reserach in early August, found the race tied. Meanwhile, Ms Demings, a former Orlando police chief whose politics are decidedly more centrist than far left, has hauled in $46m so far — outpacing Mr Rubio, who has raised just $38m.
The bad fundraising news for Mr Rubio comes as a number of observers have raised alarms about how Florida’s junior senator Rick Scott is running the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which is running low on money and being outspent by its Democratic countpart.
Ms Demings vastly outspent Mr Rubio during the month of July, spending $7.5m to his $1.5m. That infusion of money supporting Ms Demings and attacking Mr Rubio may help explain why polling of the race has moved towards the Democrat in recent weeks.
Mr Rubio clearly wants to be sure that he has the money to compete with Ms Demings when the campaign heats up this fall. On Monday morning, the senator sent an email to his supporters announcing that his recent fundraising is a “disaster.”
“Do I need to remind you that just last week it was reported that my opponent raised more in one month than I was able to raise all of last quarter? My opponent is gaining momentum and I desperately need your support,” Mr Rubio wrote. “Please, I’m begging. Don’t look back and wish you did more.”
Both Mr Rubio and Ms Demings officially won their respective party nominations in the Florida primary on Tuesday night.
