McCormick has banner $8.4 million fundraising quarter

• It's another indication that he'll have plenty of resources in his challenge of three-term incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.), in what is shaping up to be the most expensive Senate race of the cycle.
• Republican donors are clearly optimistic about McCormick's chances to win in Pennsylvania, a state that will be ground zero in the battle for the White House and the Senate.
• Casey, raised $5.6 million in the first quarter, a personal best. His campaign has not yet released Casey's second quarter numbers.
• McCormick reported $6.2 million last quarter, including a $1 million contribution from himself.

What we're watching: Over the weekend McCormick found himself in the middle of a story that captured America's, and the world's, attention.

• A combat veteran, McCormick gave live accounts and analysis of what he saw on stage in Butler, Pennsylvania.
• "I was in the front row and President Trump had just announced me," he said on Fox Saturday night. "Then there were a number of shots and the crowd went to the ground."
• "It was a very scary moment because our president and innocent bystanders were under siege," he said.

By the numbers: Some $188 million in ad spending has been either spent or reserved in the Pennsylvania Senate race, according to AdImpact, with Democrats currently having a slight overall advantage.

• A super PAC supporting McCormick has reserved $30 million in television ads.

The bottom line: In the last two presidential elections, only a single Senate candidate — out of 69 races — won a state that their presidential nominee lost.

• Strategists in both parties believe that Pennsylvania Senate race will closely track the president numbers, meaning that whichever party takes the White House is likely to win the Senate seat.