Cory Booker outraises GOP challenger Justin Murphy by factor of 50

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D) out-fundraised GOP challenger Justin Murphy by a factor of 50 in the most recent quarter, expanding an already chasmic fundraising gap between the two as Booker seeks reelection next month.

Booker reported raising about $1.8 million between July 1 and Sept. 30, dwarfing the $35,860 Murphy raised over the same period.

Booker spent a little less than $2.3 million during the quarter, with $1 million in the form of a transfer to the Democratic State Committee. He finished the reporting period with a little less than $22.6 million banked.

Murphy finished the reporting period with $9,578 banked after spending $26,404.

Murphy has joked about his minimal campaign cash on the campaign trail.

“I think my almighty creator, God, has made all currency on this planet allergic to me because it avoids me at everything I do in my life,” Murphy joked at a debate earlier this month.

“We’re not going to out-fundraise Cory Booker,” he added. “We can out-work him, but we’re not going to out-fundraise him.”

The gap grows wider when examining fundraising across the cycle. Since launching his reelection bid, Booker has reported raising nearly $35.4 million. For Murphy, that total’s about $75,205.

Even leaving fundraising to the side, Murphy faces a steep uphill climb to victory in November. Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey since Sen. Clifford Case won reelection in 1972, and the GOP faces strong headwinds this year amid an unpopular president, an even less popular war in Iran, and a cost-of-living crisis.

The election is Nov. 3.