Fueled by homegrown Wisconsin donors, Tom Nelson in Feingold territory
Appleton, Wis. – Underdog populist U.S. Senate candidate Tom Nelson has raised over $1.38 million to date in his campaign for U.S. Senate and reported nearly $550,000 cash on hand. This is over twice the cash on hand ($202,000) that another underdog – Russ Feingold – reported in the first quarter of his historic – and victorious – 1992 Senate campaign during the last contested Democratic primary for Senate.
Like Feingold, who also faced deep-pocketed and self-funding millionaire primary opponents, a vast majority of Nelson’s fundraising total (89 percent) has come from donors who gave $200 or less. Over half of Nelson’s money (51 percent) comes from Wisconsin, a rate substantially higher than most of the other Democrats in the field and befitting the candidate who has spent most of his life IN Wisconsin. Nelson raised nearly $220,000 this quarter.
“In 1992, Russ Feingold faced a field of opponents who thought their checkbooks could buy the Senate race. Like Tom, Russ didn’t have the most money or name recognition, but what he DID have was the truest and most authentic progressive vision for Wisconsin’s working families,” campaign manager Irene Lin said. “We have the vision and the drive and, as the race comes into focus and voters weigh which candidate can best defeat Ron Johnson in November, we believe Tom’s winning track record as the only elected official from a Trump county will propel him to victory.”