Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes raised more than $1.1 million during the third quarter as he pulled more from donors than either U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, or his top Dem rivals, according to their fundraising reports.
Barnes reported spending $419,033 during the three-month period and finished September with $711,089. It was his first fundraising report after getting into the race this summer.
Johnson, who hasn’t said whether he will seek reelection, reported $906,290 in receipts and $2.3 million cash on hand after spending $316,936 during the period.
His fundraising dipped from the $1.2 million he raised in the second quarter. Johnson also continued to lag behind other top Senate targets in the 2022 cycle.
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., reported $9.5 million raised during the three-month period, while U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., raised nearly $8.2 million. Among the incumbents who typically show up on the national lists of top targets, Johnson’s fundraising was closest to U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan. The New Hampshire Dem raised nearly $3 million.
Among Wisconsin Dems, state Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and Alex Lasry, on leave from his position with the Milwaukee Bucks, both topped $1 million in receipts. But that was largely due to personal money they put into their campaigns.
Godlewski reported nearly $1.4 million in receipts. That included $315,000 that she gave directly to the campaign and another $685,000 that she loaned to the operation two days before the reporting period closed. She spent $818,070 and had $786,494 in the bank.
Lasry, meanwhile, reported more than $1 million in receipts, though that included a $750,000 loan he gave his campaign Sept. 28, two days before the reporting period closed. He has now loaned his campaign $800,000, and Lasry listed $1.5 million cash on hand after spending $574,443 during the three-month period.
Outagamie County Exec Tom Nelson, meanwhile, reported $222,920 raised, $211,348 spent and $417,928 in the bank.
Among other Dems in the race, Steve Olikara raised $102,449, spent $93,850 and had $64,328 in the bank. Olikara, founder of the Millennial Action Project, announced in May that he was exploring a bid and then formally entered the race in mid-August.
Gillian Battino, a Wausau doctor, raised $88,926, spent $88,394 and had $34,695 in the bank.
Barnes showed a stronger small-dollar fundraising operation than his top rivals in the Senate race.
Of the more than $1.1 million he raised, Barnes reported $403,762 in unitemized donations of $200 or less during the three-month period.
Johnson reported $376,832 in unitemized donations, while Godlewski reported $95,034 and Lasry $66,573.
