Mark Kelly rakes in nearly $6 million for reelection in second quarter of the year

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) raised nearly $6 million in the second quarter of the year for his reelection bid, his campaign announced on Wednesday.

The massive three-month fundraising total eclipses the roughly $4.4 million he raised in the first quarter of 2021 and brings his campaign’s cash reserves to more than $7 million. More than 85,000 individuals gave to Kelly’s reelection operation over the past three months, his campaign said. The average donation was just $32.

“The swell in grassroots support we’re seeing is a direct result of Mark delivering in the Senate and will be what fuels our people-powered campaign as we move full speed ahead into 2022,” Kelly’s campaign manager Emma Brown said in a statement.

Kelly, a former astronaut turned anti-gun-violence activist, was elected last year to serve out the remainder of the late Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) term in office. But he’s also facing one of the most competitive reelection campaigns of the 2022 midterm cycle, and a growing number of Republicans are lining up to challenge him.

Among his top Republican challengers is Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who launched his Senate campaign last month. Other prominent potential challengers include Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and former Arizona House Speaker Kirk Adams.

Democrats see holding Kelly’s seat as paramount to maintaining their majority in the Senate. Republicans need to flip control of just one seat to recapture control of the upper chamber next year.

But Kelly has proven himself time and again to be a prolific fundraiser. In the third quarter of last year, for instance, his campaign pulled in a staggering $36.7 million.