Vulnerable Democratic senator’s “grassroots” campaign, fueled primarily by coastal elites and out-of-state funding

As the “most endangered Senate Democrat” in the country, Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff has praised “an unstoppable grassroots movement.” However, the most recent Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports indicate that a significant amount of out-of-state funding is supporting his candidacy.

According to Ossoff’s most recent quarterly report, out-of-state donations accounted for almost 80% of the funds he raised during the previous period. More than half of his maxed-out donors are from California, New York, or the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area, according to the report, which also includes contributions from anyone who have contributed at least $200 this year.

In spite of “substantial spending by GOP Super PACs,” Ossoff’s team raised $12 million during the most recent third-quarter filing period, which covers from July 1 to September 30, according to a news release issued after the publication of an October filing.

Ossoff’s “re-election juggernaut” was “overwhelmingly” driven by tiny contributions, with an average of $36 from over 233,000 donors, according to the same news release. A donor’s donation is not reported in FEC filings if their total contributions do not exceed $200.

Ossoff is fighting for re-election in a state Trump won in 2024, albeit by a small two-point margin. In a close race that necessitated a runoff, he defeated incumbent Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., to gain his first seat in Congress in 2021. The Washington Free Beacon claims that Ossoff received 60% of his funding from sources outside of Georgia during that initial election campaign.

California is leading the pack in terms of the largest donations to Ossoff’s campaign during the third quarter, accounting for around 20% of all donations, according to his most recent October FEC filing. Georgia, at roughly 17.5%, comes in second.

Georgia accounted for just 6.1% of maxed-out contributors who made contributions to Ossoff in the third quarter, while California accounted for the majority of those political donors (33.3%), followed by New York (15.65%), and Massachusetts (10.8%). Ossoff is vulnerable going into Election Day, and according to Senate sources and GOP strategists, the Georgia Democrat is unlikely to deviate from his party and vote in favor of reopening the government out of concern that it will cost him vital support from liberal funders throughout the country.

Ryan Mahoney, a GOP strategist based in Georgia who has collaborated with Georgia’s Republican senators, told The Washington Examiner, “I think the shutdown illustrates that there is no middle ground for him when it comes to these huge decisions that have to be taken.”

“His calculation is, ‘Do I vote to shut down the government and receive $3 million [from internet fundraising] or do I vote to open the government and be crushed and not be able to collect a single dollar of low-level money?'” another Democratic Party official told The Hill.