U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, speaks to a crowd in Billings on Oct. 13, 2024 (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan).
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester raised $32 million from July 1 through September – about $12 million more than he raised and spent during his entire 2018 race – and more than tripled the $9.7 million his Republican opponent, Tim Sheehy, brought in during the third quarter of 2024.
Quarterly Federal Election Commission campaign finance filings for federal candidates were due by Tuesday evening and show where campaigns stand financially just weeks before November’s election.
The eye-popping quarter of fundraising for the three-term incumbent and his opponent signals just how important the seat is in both Montana, where Tester is the last statewide elected Democrat, and nationally, as Republicans and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, led by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, tries to win back power in the Senate in November’s election. Sheehy has led Tester in virtually every publicly released poll since August, and in a New York Times/Siena College poll released last week, Sheehy led Tester by 7 percentage points.
Tester’s fundraising in July, August and September nearly doubled what he had raised during the campaign up through June. He started July with $10.8 million in cash, having already raised $43.7 million since the start of the campaign cycle.
But he brought in $32.1 million July 1 through Sept. 30, making his total fundraising so far for the cycle $75.9 million. Records show about $30 million of that money came from individual donations. His fundraising is second among all Senate candidates this cycle to Ohio Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s $83.5 million. Brown is also in a close race with his Republican challenger in a state former President Donald Trump is favored to win.
Montana Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy poses for photos with supporters outside of a rally in Bozeman on Aug. 9, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)
Tester spent another $35.6 million during those three months – he’s now spent $69.6 million on the campaign – and started October with $7.4 million in cash on hand heading into the final five weeks before the election.
The committee Republicans for Tester also received a $1.9 million transfer from Tester’s main fundraising committee and has been advertising on television in recent weeks, according to FEC filings.
Sheehy, the Bozeman businessman trying to unseat Tester, raised $9.7 million during the quarter, about three times what he raised during the previous quarter. Sheehy spent $8.9 million, and ended September with $4 million in cash on hand – about $3.3 million less than Tester had going into the final weeks before Election Day on Nov. 5.
Sheehy did not loan his campaign money during the quarter; he has so far loaned his campaign $2.4 million of the $23.4 million he has raised since the start of his campaign. Sheehy has so far spent $19.3 million in the race.
Libertarian Sid Daoud and Green Party candidate Robert Barb did not report any raising or spending to the FEC; candidates are not required to file reports if they raise or spend less than $5,000.
1st Congressional District
In the western congressional district race, which recent polls have indicated is close, Democratic challenger Monica Tranel outraised incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke by about $100,000. She brought in $2.1 million to Zinke’s $2 million during the quarter, according to their filings.
Zinke still has more cash on hand than Tranel, with about $2.3 million to Tranel’s $1.3 million, however.
Zinke raised $2 million during the quarter and spent about $2.7 million. Tranel kept pace, bringing in $2.1 million and spending about $2.8 million from the start of July through September.
Zinke has now raised $8.9 during the campaign and spent about $7 million. Tranel has raised $5.2 million and spent about $3.8 million.
Libertarian Dennis Hayes did not file a quarterly report, indicating he did not raise or spend more than $5,000.
2nd Congressional District
In Montana’s eastern congressional district, the campaign finance reports continue to show the stark divide between Republican nominee, State Auditor Troy Downing, and his Democratic opponent, John Driscoll, because part of Driscoll’s campaign ethos this year is not raising or spending more than $5,000.
Montana State Auditor and Congressional candidate Troy Downing ahead of a political rally featuring former President Donald Trump in Bozeman on Aug. 9, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)
As such, the Helena former state legislator and Public Service Commissioner who has in the past run as both a Democrat and a Republican for various offices, again did not file a quarterly campaign finance report. Driscoll told the Daily Montanan last week some of his expenses involved having to fix his vehicle after hitting a deer while on the road campaigning.
Downing, regarded as the favorite in the race in Republican-heavy eastern Montana, raised about $529,000 from the start of July through September. He spent about $259,000, according to his quarterly filing, and started October with about $366,000 cash on hand heading into Montana’s absentee voting period.
Downing did not lend his campaign any more money during the quarter; he earlier in the campaign loaned it $1 million. Including the loans, Downing has brought in about $2.6 million during his campaign. He has spent about $2.2 million, according to filings.
Reilly Neill, the Democrat running as a write-in candidate in the 2nd Congressional District because she says Driscoll is not putting in the necessary effort to get elected, reported raising about $15,000 from July through September and spending about $9,400. Neill started October with about $6,300 in cash.