Donnelly outraises Braun over first half of October

Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly raised more money than his opponent, Republican challenger Mike Braun, during the first half of October, the latest fundraising reports are expected to show.

Donnelly raised $1.44 million from Oct. 1-17 and has $2.32 million cash on hand, down from the $4.5 million he had on hand at the end of September.

Braun raised $1.27 million during the same time period, an amount that does not include any personal loans. His cash-on-hand figure was not immediately available. At the end of September, Braun had $1.9 million cash on hand.

In the third quarter—July 1-Sept. 30—Braun loaned his campaign $2.4 million, which brought his total amount of personal campaign loans to nearly $8.8 million.

In a press release, Braun’s campaign attributed a recent surge in fundraising to Donnelly’s opposition to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Donnelly announced he was opposed to Kavanaugh's nomination Sept. 28 and voted against him Oct. 6.

“Mexico Joe Donnelly joined the angry liberal mob creating a media circus aimed at destroying President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, and after Donnelly announced his opposition to Justice Kavanaugh, Mike Braun raised $1.27 million” from Oct. 1-15, campaign spokesman Josh Kelley said in a written statement.

The latest federal campaign reports were due Wednesday for candidates in U.S. Senate and House races. It is the last deadline before Election Day on Nov. 6.

The Indiana race is among the most-watched in the country as it is seen as a key seat to whether Republicans will maintain their majority in the U.S. Senate.