Congressional candidates filed their first-quarter fundraising numbers of 2026 this week, as Democratic Senate candidates pulled in strong numbers in the heart of midterm elections primary season.
Just over six months away from general Election Day in 2026, Democratic Senate candidates in key races across the country reported large fundraising hauls for the first three months of the election year. The first-quarter fundraising pull left Democratic candidates such as Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), State Rep. James Talarico in Texas, and former Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) pulling ahead in the Senate candidate fundraising leaderboard.
But key Republicans are not too far behind, as incumbent Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and John Cornyn (R-TX) landed in the top 15 fundraisers across the midterm election candidates, per Federal Election Commission data.
So, here’s a look at the 2026 Q1 fundraising numbers for some of the most closely watched Senate races.
Georgia
Ossoff is leading the pack of 2026 Senate candidates when it comes to fundraising, sitting on a massive stockpile of $77.97 million raised and $31.7 million in cash on hand. The incumbent Democratic senator raised a total of over $14 million in the first quarter of 2026.
Cook Political Report, which shifted the 2026 Georgia Senate race to “leans Democrat” from a “toss up” this week, described Ossoff’s war chest as having “eye-popping amounts of cash.”
With the primary date scheduled for May 19, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley are the three front-runners for the GOP nomination. Carter boasts the cash advantage among the three Republicans, raising a total of $6.7 million and holding $3.7 in cash on hand. Collins and Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA)-backed Dooley have just over $2.1 million and $2.2 million in cash on hand, respectively.
Carter raised about $469,795 in the first quarter of 2026, Collins raised about $1.038 million, and Dooley raised about $663,502.
The latest Emerson College poll showed Collins leading in the primary over his GOP opponents, but the report also said Carter had the closest margin against Ossoff in the general election, which Ossoff led in every hypothetical general election matchup.
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Maine
In Maine, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) significantly leads the field in cash on hand, boasting over $10 million. This is millions more than Democratic candidates Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) and oyster farmer Graham Platner (D-ME), who each have just over $1 million and $2.7 million, respectively.
But, in the first quarter of 2026, Platner raised the most with a total of $4.08 million, while Collins raised $3.07 million and Mills raised $2.65 million. Both Platner and Mills’ numbers were slightly down from the prior fundraising quarter, according to Politico.
Cook Political Report listed Maine as a toss-up race, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) pick of Mills trailing Platner as he faces several controversies. The latest Emerson College poll from late March has Platner leading in the primary against Mills, and both Platner and Mills leading Collins in a hypothetical primary matchup.
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Michigan
In Michigan, where Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) is retiring, the Democratic primary is neck-and-neck, while former Republican congressman Mike Rogers has a cash lead of over $4.2 million on hand.
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow ended the first quarter with over $3.69 million in cash on hand, similar to Rep. Haley Stevens’ (D-MI) over $3.38 million, with physician Abdul el Sayed trailing with $2.5 million.
McMorrow led the pack of candidates in Q1 2026, raising just over $3 million, while el Sayed pulled in over $2.295 million, Rogers raised $2.24 million, and Stevens raised just over $2 million.
Cook Political Report rates the race as a toss-up, framing it as a major possible pick-up for the GOP. Michigan’s primary date is on Aug. 4.
“Michigan is the GOP’s best opportunity to flip a seat and throw a serious wrench into Democrats’ majority math,” Cook Political Report’s race summary reads.
North Carolina
In North Carolina, Cooper has hauled in a massive war chest, boasting about $16 million more in cash on hand than his Republican opponent, former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley.
Cooper raised $5.75 million in the first three months of 2026, landing at $18.45 million in cash on hand. Whatley hauled in a total of $2.1 million in the first quarter, leaving him with $2.5 million in cash on hand.
As the two duke it out to see who will replace retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), the seat is tagged as leaning Democratic, but several recent polls have Whatley within single digits of Cooper.
Ohio
Incumbent Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) is likely to take on former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown to see who will represent Ohioans, though the primary is scheduled for May.
Brown is pulling a cash lead in the now toss-up race, garnering over $16.5 million in cash on hand at the end of the first quarter, compared to Husted’s $8.2 million. Brown raised $10.1 million in the first three months of 2026, while Husted raised $2.9 million, a financial blow to the GOP as they look to hold the Buckeye State’s seat.
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Texas
In terms of cash on hand, Talarico leads in the Lone Star state with over $9.8 million, followed by Cornyn with over $4.9 million, while Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton trails behind with less than half of Cornyn’s war chest.
Talarico raised over $19 million total in the first quarter after the Texas primary, while Cornyn raised $1.7 million, and Paxton raised $1.15 million. The Texas Senate primary took place on March 3, sending Cornyn and Paxton to a runoff on May 26.
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Texas is currently in the “likely Republican” category.
“If state Attorney General Ken Paxton does indeed win the Texas Republican Senate nomination on May 26, we would shift this race into the Lean Republican column,” Cook Political Report’s race summary reads. “Democrats maintain that they could make this race competitive even if Sen. John Cornyn emerges as the nominee, but we’re skeptical of that argument.”