SC Republicans and Democrats tout their fundraising hauls as proof of ‘momentum’

COLUMBIA — With early voting underway in South Carolina, campaigns are boasting their latest fundraising reports as get-out-the-vote efforts continue.

GOP gubernatorial nominee Alan Wilson, the state’s attorney general since 2010, raised $2.5 million from July 1 through Oct. 14, according to the last pre-election filing. It showed he entered the last three weeks of the campaign with nearly $1.7 million cash available to spend.

Wilson’s latest filing shows the best fundraising haul in the pre-election span that includes the third quarter for any statewide candidate in South Carolina ever, outside of campaigns for federal office.

“The momentum behind this campaign is unbelievable,” said Woods Wooten, spokesman for the Wilson campaign. “As early voting gets underway, we are entering the final stretch with historic fundraising, strong grassroots support, and tremendous enthusiasm for Alan Wilson’s plan to make South Carolina more affordable for families.”

The candidate is on a statewide bus tour for the two weeks leading up to Election Day. Republicans on the bus will include Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

His Democratic opponent, state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, posted by far his best fundraising report of the campaign, with more than $867,000 collected. He had about $136,000 cash on hand as of Oct. 14, his filing showed.

While that leaves him far less to spend on his message in a reliably red state, Johnson touts receiving more individual donations than prior Democratic campaigns for governor, suggesting broad support from voters.

“The momentum this campaign has built is unprecedented,” Johnson’s campaign said in a statement to the SC Daily Gazette. The funds “will keep us communicating with voters through Election Day. Our team continues to fuel that fire, and we need every citizen who believes what we know is possible to jump in with us.”

Senate race

In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Annie Andrews blew past Sen. Darline Graham in fundraising, with third-quarter totals of $9.4 million to $2.4 million, according to Federal Elections Commission filings. But both campaigns are touting their numbers as successful team efforts.

Polls and political analysts show the contest narrowing. The Cook Political Report shifted the race again Tuesday, this time from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican.”

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump is set to visit the Upstate to rally support for Graham, as he did in Myrtle Beach ahead of the special GOP primary runoff she won Aug. 25 to replace her late brother on the ballot.

Her completely unexpected campaign didn’t begin until late July. Her path to the ballot included a 10-way special GOP primary exactly one month after her brother’s death. Andrews’ fundraising started in May 2025, when she launched her campaign against Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Darline Graham’s team raised $2.4 million for the quarter ending Sept. 30 when including the $1.1 million raised directly for her campaign account and $1.3 million collected by a campaign-tied political action committee. Her campaign headed into October with $610,000 cash.

The campaign’s “bruising primary, runoff, and now a general election” span less than four months, Graham said in a news release. “I am proud of our team’s efforts to raise the funds necessary to win in November during this most challenging time.”

Andrews’ third-quarter haul brought her total for the campaign to $19.7 million. She raced into October with $2.3 million cash available.

“Annie’s strong fundraising numbers show the growing enthusiasm and excitement behind this campaign. South Carolinians are rallying behind a mom and pediatrician,” the campaign said in a statement. “We’re taking this momentum all the way to Election Day.”

Outside spending from PACs working to help or harm the candidates are also spending significantly in the race, and Graham’s campaign gets a boost there.

According to filings of independent expenditures, PACs have spent $6.9 million to oppose Andrews and $3.4 million to oppose Graham. PACs reported spending $8.4 million to support Graham and $1.8 million to support Andrews.

Big fundraising totals don’t always translate to electoral results.

In 2020, Democrat Jaime Harrison raised $57 million in the third quarter as polls showed he could defeat Lindsey Graham. But he ultimately lost by 10 percentage points. His total raised for the campaign was $132 million, compared to Graham’s $109 million, which at the time was the nation’s most expensive U.S. Senate race.