Cortez Masto rakes in over $15M in third quarter fundraising

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-Nev.) campaign on Monday announced it took in over $15 million in the third quarter of 2022, setting a new record in her state.

The campaign said the average donation was $44, with 97 percent of donations in amounts less than $100. More than 170,000 people donated to her reelection campaign this quarter, and close to 330,000 have contributed money for her reelection bid since 2021, the campaign said.

The latest fundraising figures are about double what she raked in during the second quarter, when the incumbent announced more than $7.5 million. Republican candidate Adam Laxalt’s campaign said he had received $2.8 million in the second quarter. 

Laxalt’s campaign has not yet released third-quarter data. The Hill has reached out to his campaign for more information.

“While Senator Catherine Cortez Masto has fought to lower costs and create good-paying, union jobs, Adam Laxalt has focused his campaign on his efforts to restrict abortion rights and overturn the 2020 election for Donald Trump,” Cortez Masto campaign spokesman Josh Marcus-Blank said in a statement. 

“Our campaign will continue to highlight the contrast between Catherine’s fight for Nevada and Laxalt’s work to gain power for himself.”

The Nevada race is one of the most closely-watched Senate elections of this cycle. It has been rated as a “toss up” by the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report. 

Republicans see the Senate seat as one of their best pickup opportunities, and a recent poll conducted by OH Predictive Insights for The Nevada Independent shows Laxalt leading Cortez Masto 45 percent to 43 percent, respectively, though the result falls within the margin of error.