Vulnerable Dem fueled by California, NY donors despite ‘grassroots’ claim
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FIRST ON FOX: Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, described by CNN as the nation’s “most endangered Senate Democrat,” touted an “unstoppable grassroots coalition.” But his campaign is supported by large amounts of out-of-state money, according to the latest data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Ossoff’s latest quarterly filing shows more than 80% of the money he raised last term came from out-of-state donors. The report, which details contributions from people who gave at least $200 this cycle, also finds that more than half of the maximum donors came from California, New York or the DC-Maryland-Virginia region.
Following the filing’s release in October, Ossoff’s team announced in a press release that it had raised $12 million in the latest third-quarter filing period, which ran from July 1 to Sept. 30, in the face of “heavy spending from GOP Super PACs.”
The same press release noted that Ossoff’s “re-election juggernaut” was “overwhelmingly” supported by small donors averaging $36 from nearly 233,000 donors. If a donor does not donate at least $200 in total, that donor’s contribution is not disclosed in FEC filings.
NATIONAL DEMS BANKROLL CAMPAIGN OF ‘FAKE INDEPENDENT’ SENATE CANDIDATE FROM MIDWEST STATE
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., has raised large sums of money from out-of-state donors. Some GOP critics and those on Capitol Hill have suggested the Georgia Democrat may not be able to break rank and vote to reopen the government or risk losing the significant support he has from liberals across the country. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Ossoff is running for re-election in the state that Trump won by two points in 2024. He first came to Congress in 2021 after defeating incumbent Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in a razor-thin election that required a runoff. During this primary election cycle, Ossoff raised 60% of his contributions from outside the state of Georgia, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
California was the top donor to his campaign in the third quarter, accounting for nearly 20% of all donations, according to Ossoff’s last FEC filing in October. Georgia ranks second with approximately 17.5%.
But when it comes to donors who exceed contribution limits, most of those political donors came from California (33.3%), New York (15.65%) and Massachusetts (10.8%); Those from Georgia made up just 6.1% of the maximum donors who contributed to Ossoff in the third quarter.
REPUBLICAN DOOLEY SELLS GEORGIA’S SENATE RACE WHILE SUPPORTING TRUMP AND TARGETING OSSOFF
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is up for re-election after a narrow victory in the 2020 election cycle. (AP Photo/Buddy Carter for the Senate)
Given Ossoff’s fragility as Election Day approaches, GOP strategists and Senate sources say the Georgia Democrat is unlikely to break away from his party to vote to reopen the government, fearing it could cost him significant support from liberal donors across the country.
“There is no middle ground for him when it comes to these big decisions that need to be made, and I think the shutdown proves that,” Ryan Mahoney, a Georgia-based GOP strategist who works with Republican senators in the state, told The Washington Examiner.
“Her calculation is, ‘Do I vote to open the government and get crushed and I can’t raise even a dollar less, or do I vote to shut the government down and get $3 million?’ [from online fundraising]?’” A Democratic Party insider also told The Hill.
A sign reading “Closed due to federal government shutdown” outside the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., October 6, 2025. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)
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Ossoff’s campaign declined to comment when reached for this article.
