Vulnerable GOP senator raises $2M

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) announced a second-quarter fundraising haul of $2 million, which puts him neck-and-neck with former Sen. Russ Feingold (D) in what’s expected to be one of the most-watched Senate races in 2016.

With the latest donations, Johnson will have $2.75 million cash on hand for the race.

{mosads}“We’ve seen an incredible outpouring of support for Ron from all across Wisconsin,” campaign manager Betsy Ankney said in a statement.

“We’re confident that Ron’s support will only continue to grow as the stark contrast in this race becomes more and more clear.”

The announcement comes just a week after Feingold’s campaign went public with $2.2 million in second-quarter donations, as he looks to win back his former seat from Johnson. His campaign hasn’t released exact figures, but it said in a release he’ll report almost $2 million on hand. 

Feingold began running in mid-May, halfway through the fundraising quarter. That gave him about half the time that Johnson had to raise money before the June 30 cutoff. 

Johnson has said he will not spend his own money on the campaign, after using $8 million from his own coffers in his 2010 victory over Feingold. A campaign aide told The Hill that all of the money for the quarter was raised from donors, with none coming from Johnson personally.

Democrats view Johnson as one of the most vulnerable Republicans this cycle and see Wisconsin as one of their top pickup opportunities.

— This story was updated at 1:54 p.m.