BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Donnelly stepping up fundraising as GOP targets him

Maureen Groppe
IndyStar Washington bureau
In this Nov. 6, 2012 file photo, then-Indiana Democratic Senate candidtae, now. Sen.  Joe Donnelly thanks supporters at an election night celebration in Indianapolis.

WASHINGTON – Sen. Joe Donnelly, one of the most vulnerable senators up for re-election next year, had his biggest fundraising quarter since being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012.

The Indiana Democrat announced Monday he raised $1.3 million in the first three months of this year and had $2.55 million in the bank.

Rep. Luke Messer, one of the Republicans considering challenging Donnelly, raised more than $700,000 and will report having more than $1.6 million in the bank when disclosure reports are filed later this week, according to his campaign. Messer recently announced a statewide fundraising team that includes three former chairs of the state GOP and is led by Vice President Mike Pence's brother.

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Rep. Todd Rokita, who is expected to seek the GOP nomination, had $1.55 million in the bank at the end of March, according to his political adviser. Rokita did not announce how much he raised in the first quarter. Adviser Tim Edson said Rokita raised $300,000 after beginning to lay the groundwork for a Senate bid about a month ago.

Kokomo attorney Mark Hurt, who announced his bid for the GOP nomination in January, has not filed his first fundraising report.

Indiana’s Senate race is expected to be one of the top targets for Republicans because Donnelly is the only Democrat elected statewide in Indiana, which voted for President Trump by nearly 20 percentage points.

Trump’s big win aided the success of GOP Sen. Todd Young, who spent $10.9 million compared to the $14.1 million spent by former Sen. Evan Bayh last year. Young was also boosted by spending from outside groups, which poured in millions more dollars than the candidates spent, and which favored Young over Bayh.

Spending by outside groups is expected to be equally intense next year, though the amount the candidates raise themselves remains important.

The $1.3 million Donnelly raised was several times his usual quarterly take since entering the Senate. The only fundraising quarter in which he collected more was right before his 2012 election.

Peter Hanscom, Donnelly’s campaign manager, said anti-Trump sentiment was one reason for the fundraising boost. Donnelly increased support from small-dollar donors, who drove his first-quarter numbers.

“Another piece is hard work,” Hanscom said. “Joe was all over the state these last three months at back-to-back events, meeting with groups and individuals who are already engaged in 2018.”

The campaign arms of Senate Democrats and Republicans are also engaged. Both have already run ads in Indiana. The GOP ads pressured Donnelly to support Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court.  (Donnelly was one of only three Democrats who voted last week to put Gorsuch on the court.) Democrats’ ads attacked the GOP health care plan.

It’s unclear if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will get involved in the GOP primary as he did last year. McConnell backed Young over former Rep. Marlin Stutzman, who was a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus.

McConnell told reporters last week he will be looking for the “most electable candidate possible” for challengers to Democrats.

“The idea, I always remind people, is to win the election, and frequently, the primary in 2010 and 2012 dictated the outcome in November,” McConnell said. Republican Richard Mourdock beat Sen. Richard Lugar in the 2012 primary before being defeated by Donnelly in the general election. There was only one 2016 race — Indiana's primary — where the party might have nominated a candidate less electable in November, McConnell said.

"We nominated the right candidate and he won," McConnell said of Young.

Paul Helmke, civics professor at Indiana University, said the big issue for Donnelly is how popular or unpopular Trump will be next year. But while Trump’s popularity has slipped since the election, there will be many more events – such as possible developments in the investigation of Russia’s involvement in the election, another Supreme Court nomination or military action against Syria or North Korea – which could be a factor.

“There’s too much happening for anyone to feel confident about what the lay of the land is going to be like in November 2018,” he said.

Contact Maureen Groppe at mgroppe@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @mgroppe.

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