Sen. John Cornyn (R‑TX) has raised $18.3 million this cycle to help boost Republican Senate incumbents and hopefuls, raising more than Sen. John Thune (R‑SD) as both men compete to become the next Senate Republican leader.
Both senators are working to raise money as they compete for the votes of their conference after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R‑KY) announced he would step down as leader in November, setting off a battle over fundraising and ties with high-dollar donors.
The next Senate leader will be responsible for the party’s political and legislative strategy and will take over McConnell’s super PAC, known as the Senate Leadership Fund. The next leader will also help guide the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the main campaign arm of the Senate GOP, and will recruit key candidates in the coming cycles.
Cornyn, a former Senate GOP campaign chairman and whip, has raised nearly $5.6 million for incumbents, the NRSC, and Senate Republican nominees, according to a source familiar with his fundraising. The funding is the most the senator, who hails from donor-rich Texas, has raised in a single quart …