Nov 4, 2020 - Politics & Policy

GOP retains Senate seats despite record-breaking Democratic fundraising

Caption: "Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison conceded the race to incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Tuesday after fundraising over $100 million during his campaign.

Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison conceded the race to incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham on Tuesday after fundraising over $100 million during his campaign. Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Getty

Congressional races saw record-shattering fundraising numbers this year, with Democrats pouring money into candidates challenging Republican incumbents.

Why it matters: Democrats heavily invested in these contenders with the hope of flipping the Senate. The races brought in an outpouring of small-dollar donations.

The big picture: Though Democratic campaigns collected many millions of dollars this election cycle, several races in key states have resulted in losses.

What they're saying: "You wasted a lot of money," Graham said in his victory speech Tuesday night after defeating Harrison. “This is the worst return on investment in the history of American politics."

The bottom line: Despite picking up Senate seats in Colorado and Arizona, Democrats' hopes of winning control of the Senate faded as they lost a series of high-profile races.

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