Donors open their wallets to progressives challenging Trump while Musk backs Trump allies

(CNN) — Donors filled the coffers of Democrats who have emerged as prominent critics of President Donald Trump in the first months of his second term – signaling an early surge of enthusiasm among progressive contributors, new campaign reports filed Tuesday show.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the country’s best-known progressives, raised $9.6 million during the first quarter of the year, a record-breaking haul for the New York Democrat and one of the strongest quarterly fundraising hauls ever for a House member.

But 18 months before the midterm elections that could determine whether Democrats flip the House from Republican control, some of the most vulnerable Republicans are building big war chests of their own.

Here are some key takeaways from the first fundraising reports of the year:

Donors shower Trump critics with campaign cash

Ocasio-Cortez’s fundraising in the first three months of the year more than doubled her previous quarterly record of $4.4 million, from the third quarter of 2020.

The blockbuster fundraising by Ocasio-Cortez — in a safe House seat that she won by nearly 40 percentage points last year — reflects her growing stature within the Democratic Party as it looks to chart a path forward in the wake of losses in 2024 while facing demands for generational change from some of its voters.

Ocasio-Cortez’s position as a progressive leader in the party was further underscored by Sen. Bernie Sanders’ decision to bring her on several stops of his nationwide “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which has drawn sizable crowds to rallies across the country. The congresswoman’s early appearances on the tour overlapped with the fundraising period. Her campaign manager said that 64% of the campaign’s donors were first-time contributors.

For his part, Sanders, a Vermont independent, raised $11.5 million in the first quarter of the year. Sanders, who just began his fourth Senate term, entered April with more than $19 million remaining in his campaign account.

“The people are sending Democrats a message about the direction they would like to see,” a top Sanders adviser, Faiz Shakir, wrote on X in response to a post about AOC’s fundraising total.

Other Trump critics also posted eye-popping sums. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who, like Sanders, doesn’t face reelection until 2030, raised a whopping $8 million during the first quarter – the biggest haul of his Senate career. He’s become a leading Trump critic on social media.

And Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett raised more than $1.6 million during the first three months of the year – the first seven-figure fundraising quarter for the Democratic firebrand and nearly double her previous quarterly record.

Vulnerable House Republicans build war chests, too

Republicans head into next year’s elections holding one of the narrowest House majorities ever and facing the weight of history. The president’s party typically loses ground in congressional midterms.

Four of seven Republicans seeking reelection in districts rated as tossups by “Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales,” reported raising at least $1 million apiece during the first three months of the year.

GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, now in his second term representing a suburban New York district, led the way with a nearly $1.5 million haul. Lawler, who is weighing a bid to challenge New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, entered April with $1.3 million remaining in his campaign account, Tuesday’s filings show.

Other vulnerable Republicans reporting seven-figure hauls include: Reps. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa and Jen Kiggans of Virginia.

GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, who is seeking reelection in a suburban Philadelphia district that Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly carried last year, had an even bigger cash stockpile, ending March with more than $5 million remaining in his campaign accounts.

Musk backs Trump allies in Congress

Early filings on Tuesday show that Trump ally Elon Musk – who emerged as the single largest political donor in 2024’s federal races – made personal donations to nearly two dozen congressional candidates, from Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the conservative firebrand, to Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Musk has railed against federal judges who have blocked Trump’s policies and has urged lawmakers to impeach them. Most of the Musk donations were for $6,600, the maximum donation allowed directly to a federal candidate in the 2024 election cycle.

Several other conservatives also received maxed-out donations from Musk in the quarter, including Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson and Texas Rep. Brandon Gill, who had introduced a bill to put Trump’s image on the $100 bill.

As CNN and other outlets have reported, the Tesla CEO has committed to putting $100 million in Trump’s political organizations.

Readying for Senate showdowns

In the Senate, Democrats would have to topple several Republicans in red states to flip the chamber – at the same time they are defending seats in states such as Georgia that Trump won last year.

In preparation for a bruising fight, Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff raised $11.2 million in the first three months of the year, which his campaign has touted as a first-quarter record for an incumbent in a non-election year.

Ossoff also reported more than $11 million in cash on hand for what’s expected to be one of 2026’s most competitive Senate races. But the contest is still taking shape.

Top Republicans in Washington are hoping Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp – who is term limited – will enter the race. Greene, the conservative Georgia congresswoman and a potential Ossoff rival, raised about $655,000 for her House campaign in the quarter, and reported about $728,000 in cash on hand, the filings show.

Another senator preparing for a likely competitive race, North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis, raised $2.2 million – about twice what he collected in the first quarter of 2019 at the start of his last campaign.

Tillis reported a little more than $4 million in available cash as he seeks a third term after two extremely close elections.

And Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, also gearing up for a race that’s expected to rank among the most competitive of the midterms, had about $3.2 million in the bank after raising $842,000 in the quarter – down considerably from the $1.5 million that Collins brought in the first three months of 2019, ahead of her last reelection battle.

Democrats also are defending open seats in three states: Michigan, Minnesota and New Hampshire, as a series of retirements from Democratic senators have put pressure on the party ahead of the midterms. Reports showed how several leading contenders to replace the outgoing members were faring financially with nominating contests beginning to take shape.

In Michigan, Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens raised more than $1.1 million and reported nearly $1.7 million in cash on hand, putting her in a strong position as she’s poised to enter the race to succeed Sen. Gary Peters; a competitive primary is taking shape there as another candidate, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, entered the race just after the end of the first quarter. On the GOP side, former Rep. Mike Rogers entered the race this week, trying again after his narrow loss in the state’s 2024 US Senate race.

In Minnesota, Lieutenant Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a Democrat who launched her campaign to succeed retiring Sen. Tina Smith in February, raised more than $450,000. And in New Hampshire, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas had $857,000 in available cash in his new Senate campaign account as he gears up for the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Pappas announced his candidacy on April 3.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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