Anti-Trump Lincoln Project raised $39.4 million in third quarter

The Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump Republicans that has produced a number of the election cycle's most viral political attack ads, raised $39.4 million from July through September, according to Federal Election Commission records filed Wednesday.

Why it matters: The group run by Republicans and ex-Republicans has been growing its fundraising exponentially, shattering the $16.8 million record it set in the second quarter of 2020. It has since won over many more Democratic donors with deep pockets, while still receiving a large percentage of its total fundraising from donations under $200.

By the numbers: The Lincoln Project's Q3 haul is more than double the $19 million that the group raised in the previous six months.

• The group finished its first quarter with $1.9 million with early support from Walmart heir Christy Walton and Silicon Valley executive Ron Conway, records show. 
• According to CNN, the Lincoln Project's largest Democratic donor in its second quarter was hedge fund manager Stephen Mandel, who donated $1 million to the group.