House and Senate lawmakers’ newly released fundraising numbers provide early clues on who is best prepared for battle in the upcoming midterm season.
Tuesday was the deadline for lawmakers seeking reelection or running for office to file their second-quarter fundraising numbers to the Federal Election Commission.
The total amount raised and how much money is in the bank can indicate whether the lawmaker is preparing to run for another term or seek a higher office. And in competitive elections, more money can give candidates an edge in more advertising and more staff for ground operations.
Here are the eight takeaways from the filings:
1. Susan Collins still has fuel for reelection
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) hasn’t officially announced a 2026 reelection campaign, but her second-quarter filings show she has the funding to run for a sixth term.
The Maine senator raised $2.4 million from April through June and ended the reporting period with $5.25 million cash on hand.
Collins is a top target for Democrats ahead of the 2026 elections. She remains the sole Republican senator representing a state that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024. Collins has also been willing to publicly break from President Donald Trump’s wishes.
As Senate Appropriations Chairwoman, Collins’s displeasure with cuts to the global AIDS-fighting program PEPFAR led to its ouster from a $9.4 billion rescissions package the Senate is currently taking up.
Democrats have still not found a significant challenger to take on Collins.
2. New York lawmakers gear up for 2026 midterm elections
Multiple New York House lawmakers raked in more than $1 million ahead of the 2026 midterms, where races in the Empire State will determine control of the House.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) raised $5.8 million and ended the reporting period with $9.8 million cash on hand, an impressive feat for a Democrat who could potentially challenge Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for his Senate seat or even mount a 2028 presidential bid.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is believed to be considering a gubernatorial bid, challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY). The New York Republican raked in $11.8 million and ended June with $17.5 million cash on hand. Stefanik’s haul is the largest amount raised for a New York Republican in history.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), another possible gubernatorial candidate, raised just $1.3 million in the same period and ended the quarter with $2.2 million cash on hand. Lawler represents the 17th Congressional District, which Harris won in the 2024 election.
3. Jon Ossoff keeps fundraising momentum going
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) faces a hard reelection battle in the swing state of Georgia, a state that Trump won during the 2024 election.
But his ability to raise money has not abated. In the second quarter, Ossoff raised $10.08 million, just $1 million less than the record-breaking $11 million he raised in the first quarter of 2025.
Ossoff ended the quarter with more than $15.49 million in cash on hand. Popular Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) declined to challenge Ossoff for the Senate seat, but Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) threw his hat in the ring.
Carter raised $3.05 million in the same duration and ended the quarter with a little over $4 million, far below Ossoff’s figures.
4. Bill Cassidy trounces challengers with cash on hand
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) raised $1.6 million and ended the quarter with $8.73 million cash on hand, far above two GOP primary challengers hoping to unseat him.
Republican state Sen. Blake Miguez raised $1.8 million, including a $1 million loan to his campaign. Similarly, state Treasurer John Fleming raised $2.1 million but that also includes loaning his campaign $2 million before paying himself back and reloaning the money to his campaign.
“These numbers speak for themselves. Senator Cassidy has a proven record of delivering results,” said Cassidy campaign manager Katie Larkin in a statement. “With historic momentum and unmatched resources, we’re ready for anything that comes our way.”
5. Illinois Senate race heats up
With Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) forgoing reelection, it will be Illinois’s first competitive race for the retiring senator’s seat in over two decades.
Declared candidates for the Democrats include Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Robin Kelly (D-IL), who are in a primary against Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. Money will be a significant factor in this race, as Stratton is backed by Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL), a Hyatt Hotels heir with a considerable war chest.
Krishnamoorthi led the way with $12.7 million in fundraising and ended the quarter with nearly $12 million in the bank. Kelly brought in almost $2.5 million and has $2.2 million in cash on hand.
Stratton raised $1.1 million and had $666,416 in cash.
Republicans’ best chance at flipping the seat may lie with Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL). He told the Washington Examiner he was looking at the seat but hadn’t committed to launching a campaign.
LaHood raised more than $688,000 and has $6.23 million in cash on hand at the end of the second quarter.
6. John Cornyn’s tough reelection battle continues
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is in the toughest fight for his political future, and it’s showing in his fundraising.
The Texas Senator raised less than $1 million during the second quarter, only $803,951, and ended the period with $5.9 million cash on hand.
His GOP primary challenger, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, raised $2.9 million in that same period and ended the quarter with $2.5 million in the bank.
Cornyn’s campaign claimed that the senator and his joint fundraising committee, Cornyn Victory Committee, raised more than $3.9 million in the second quarter and ended the period with $8.9 million cash on hand.
“Senator Cornyn is one of the most effective members of the U.S. Senate and has been a stalwart ally of President Trump, voting more than 99.2% of time with him while President, so it should be no surprise that our re-election campaign would report a strong haul in the 2nd quarter of 2025,” said Cornyn re-election campaign manager Andy Hemming in a statement.
Cornyn’s joint fundraising committee allows him to air fundraising advertisements at a cheaper rate on television, a practice that has infuriated Democrats. The FEC deadlocked in a 3-3 vote last year over whether to allow the practice to continue, allowing the loophole to continue.
7. Michigan GOP Senate candidate lags behind challengers
Republican candidate former Rep. Mike Rogers brought in $745,000 for his Senate campaign account, a sum below the $1.5 million his campaign originally claimed.
FEC filings showed another $778,000 attributed to a “Team Rogers” joint fundraising committee, but fundraising comparisons traditionally are measured by money in the candidate’s primary account. Rogers is running in the most competitive open Senate seat after Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) announced his retirement.
GOP’S MIKE ROGERS LAGS CHALLENGERS IN BID TO FLIP MICHIGAN SENATE SEAT
Rogers is backed by the Senate GOP’s campaign arm but his fundraising for his primary account was behind Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), a potential GOP challenger, who brought in $746,000 in the second quarter and had $1.38 million in cash on hand.
Democratic Senate candidates also raised more than Rogers, with state Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow raising $2.1 million, and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed hauling in $1.8 million.
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) raised $1.3 million in new funds during the second quarter, while $1.5 million was transferred from her House campaign.
8. House GOP groups outpace Democrats
In the first six months of 2025, two GOP groups affiliated with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican leadership hauled in $60 million. The Congressional Leadership Fund raised $32.7 million and the American Action Network raised $28 million— an amount that broke previous fundraising figures and is more than $25 million ahead of what the two groups raised in 2023.
In contrast, House Majority Forward and House Majority PAC, affiliated with House Democrats, raised $40 million in the first six months of 2025.
House Majority PAC president Mike Smith called the figures their “strongest fundraising start to an off-year ever,” in a statement.
“We have seen a tremendous amount of enthusiasm on our side, while Republicans have passed a historically unpopular bill that cuts health care for millions and raises costs,” Smith continued. “HMP will work relentlessly to ensure every Republican is held accountable for this out-of-touch vote, and we will take back the House in 2026 and elect Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker.”
Another group affiliated with Johnson, the Grow the Majority PAC, raised $11.68 million in the second quarter and had $2.62 million on cash on hand.