By
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff brought in an eye-popping $6.4 million in the third quarter for his California Senate campaign, his campaign told NBC News.
Schiff’s campaign said that the money came from 102,700 unique donors and that it ended the quarter with $32 million cash on hand.
He’s hoping that hefty sum will help him defeat two prominent California Democrats he’s running against — Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee — for the seat left open by the by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who died last week but had previously announced her retirement.
Feinstein’s death could scramble the race, as California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to appoint a temporary successor. The seat comes before California voters in 2024.
“This quarter, we saw yet another outpouring of support from grassroots donors,” Schiff campaign manager Brad Elkins said in a statement. He touted "the backing of 60 percent of California’s Democratic congressional delegation" and "endorsements from six statewide labor organizations" as other factors buoying Schiff ahead of the campaign.
Notably, Schiff’s campaign said $400,000 of his third-quarter funds came from “investment interest.” Investing campaign funds is a rare — but precedented — move that some politicians have made in the past to grow their war chests.