BURSTFormer North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) hauled in over $14.5 million this past quarter as he vies for Sen. Thom Tillis’s (R-N.C.) Senate seat next year, his campaign announced on Monday.
Cooper’s campaign noted that over $10.8 million was raised through his campaign, while his joint fundraising committee Cooper Victory Fund raked in a separate $3.7 million.
His campaign noted that they received contributions from donors in each of the state’s 100 counties, with 90 percent of the contributions being $100 or less.
Former RNC Chair Michael Whatley is running on the Republican side for Tillis’ seat and has not yet announced his fundraising for this past quarter, which includes July through September. Candidates have until Oct. 15 to report their third quarter fundraising totals.
Cooper campaign manager Jeff Allen touted the fundraising numbers, saying in a statement that they reflected “a massive groundswell of support for our campaign.”
“This will be the most competitive race in the country, and we’re putting a people-powered organization together to flip this seat and send Roy Cooper to the Senate to lower costs and deliver for North Carolina families,” Allen added.
Cooper and Whatley both announced their candidacies around the same time in late July after Tillis announced the previous month that he would be forgoing reelection.
North Carolina is seen as one of Democrats’ best pick-up opportunities this cycle, though Democrats have tripped in recent years in Senate races.
The last time Democrats successfully won a Senate race in the state was 2008 when voters elected the late Sen. Kay Hagan (D). That's also the last time Democrats won the state at the presidential level.