Democrats see growing donations as they seek the majority of the U.S. Senate.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Campaign donations are flooding the coffers of Democrats running for the United States Senate, but some Republican incumbents seeking to protect their majority in the Senate have a powerful cash advantage over their contenders to As the electoral battle enters its final months.

Early second-quarter campaign reports to the Federal Election Commission showed an increase in donations for Democratic challengers trying to change seats in the Senate in at least 10 states seen as potentially at stake as numbers decrease. polls of President Donald Trump.

The filing deadline was due to expire shortly before midnight Wednesday and several prominent Republican officials had yet to report their totals for the three months ended June 30.

While the November 3 elections are still 3.5 months away, the avalanche of campaign contributions shows that Democrats are benefiting from voter dissatisfaction over Trump’s responses to the coronavirus pandemic and race relations, among other issues. analysts say.

“The intensity of opposition to Donald Trump has motivated many people to donate to Democrats for the first time, or more than ever,” said Republican strategist Alex Conant.

Republicans currently hold a four-seat Senate majority of 100 seats. With Democrats in control of the House of Representatives, Republican control of the Senate has been crucial in bolstering the Trump presidency, including keeping him in power after his impeachment in February.

But superior fundraising does not guarantee the success of Democratic challengers on Election Day against Republican incumbents who have had more time to increase their financial firepower.

Democrats would need a net profit of four Republican-occupied seats to take control of the chamber if Trump wins re-election, or three if Democratic candidate Joe Biden defeats him. Democrats are expected to lose a seat: Senator Doug Jones of Alabama.

FEC documents released Wednesday showed Iowa Democrat Theresa Greenfield, who is running against Republican Senator Joni Ernst, nearly tripled her quarterly fundraiser to $ 6 million from $ 2.3 million earlier this year. Although he topped Ernst’s $ 3.6 million, Greenfield ended up with just $ 5.7 million in cash, behind Ernst’s $ 9.1 million.

Similarly with Jon Ossoff, the Georgia Democrat who is running against Republican Senator David Perdue. Ossoff’s $ 3.9 million in quarterly donations exceeded Perdue’s $ 2.2 million. But the challenger was still behind on cash, with just $ 2.5 million available, compared to Perdue’s $ 10.7 million.

In other races, Republicans had smaller monetary advantages over Democrats or were at least competitive.

Kentucky Democrat Amy McGrath outraged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell once again bringing in $ 17.4 million in the second quarter compared to $ 12.2 million. But the Senate Republican maximum topped it in cash, $ 16.7 million to $ 16.2 million.

Democrat Steve Bullock, the Montana governor running to overthrow Republican Senator Steve Daines, more than doubled his fundraising performance in the first quarter by raising $ 7.8 million in the second, while Daines raised $ 5 million. Bullock also made cash with $ 7.6 million, up from $ 7.1 million for the Republican.

Twenty-three Republican incumbents are seeking reelection to new six-year terms, compared to 12 Democratic incumbents. Polls show Republican Senate headlines run slightly behind their Democratic challengers in half a dozen states: Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Montana, and North Carolina.