Some good news today out of Kentucky:
http://www.courier-journal.com/...
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes raised more than $2.5 million in her first quarter of fundraising — more than U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell raised in the quarter.
Jonathan Hurst, an adviser to Grimes, said he believes it’s the first time McConnell has been outraised and it’s the most that a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Kentucky has ever brought in during a quarter.
“I think this shows the strength, the enthusiasm, the excitement around this campaign and around Alison,” Hurst said.
McConnell announced last week that he raised $2.27 million in the quarter and $17.7 for the campaign. He had just under $10 million on hand. - Louisville Courier-Journal, 10/15/13
Here's a little more info on how Grimes was able to outraise Senator Gridlock:
http://thehill.com/...
Lundergan Grimes received support from Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, who has urged his network of fellow Democratic donors to support the Kentucky candidate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) hosted a fundraiser for Lundergan Grimes in Las Vegas. And she's tapping the connections of her father, Jerry Lundergan, who is a well-connected Democratic leader in Kentucky and has ties to Hillary and Bill Clinton.
Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky's secretary of State, received contributions from more than 13,000 individual donors, more than double the nearly 6,000 that contributed to McConnell.
More than 11,000 of those individual donations came in amounts of $50 or less, which the campaign said was evidence of a "solid grassroots foundation" for her Senate bid. She received contributions from all 120 Kentucky counties and all 50 states. - The Hill, 10/15/13
Not to mention Grimes' got a little help from some expertise fundraisers:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Grimes's fundraising team includes veterans of Sen. Elizabeth Warren's 2012 campaign. The Massachusetts Democrat was last cycle's most impressive fundraiser. - Washington Post, 10/15/13
Of course McConnell and the GOP are trying to act like this doesn't make them nervous:
http://www.politico.com/...
McConnell’s campaign responded to the news by noting its huge cash advantage. It argued that her fundraising was “underwhelming” because she has a similar finance team as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who raised $3.15 million in her first quarter as a candidate.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee also sought to downplay Grimes’ haul, pointing out that New Jersey Senate candidate Cory Booker raised $4.5 million in his first quarter as a candidate. - Politico, 10/15/13
Grimes' campaign is touting this big haul with a chart of the contributions:
We have had an incredible first few months, and I wanted you to be the first to know about the strong grassroots coalition we are building.
Today I am proud to announce that in our first quarter, we raised over $2.5 million -- more than Senator McConnell’s “strongest fundraising quarter to date.”
As the third quarter numbers show, momentum is on our side:
13,327 individuals from all 120 Kentucky counties and all 50 states contributed to our campaign
Our record-breaking showing speaks to the overwhelming energy behind us as Democrats, Republicans and Independents join our campaign.
We have crossed our first hurdle. Over the next 13 months, I'm counting on your help to keep building this campaign. I hope you will continue to stand with us so that we can build upon our success thus far.
I encourage you to spread the word to your friends and family and have them visit http://www.alisonforkentucky.com to sign up to volunteer and get the latest campaign news.
Thank you again for standing by my side. Together, we will win this.
Alison
Lets keep up the momentum. If you want to donate or get involved with Grimes' campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.alisonforkentucky.com