Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., speaks during a news conference at the Fuente de Vida Mental Health Clinic Friday, July 1, 2022. Masto talked about the recent Supreme Court decision repealing Roe v. Wade and denounced Republican challenger Adam Laxalt for his stance on reproductive rights. BRIAN RAMOS
Monday, Oct. 3, 2022 | 4:31 p.m.
Democratic Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s campaign on Monday announced it raked in $15 million through fundraising, setting a new record for politicians in the state.
Cortez Masto’s campaign enjoyed donations from more than 170,000 individuals, with 97% of funds coming from contributions of $100 or fewer, according to a release. The campaign says the average donation amount was $44, and nearly 330,000 people have donated to her reelection bid since 2021.
“While Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto has fought to lower costs and create good-paying, union jobs, Adam Laxalt has focused his campaign on his efforts to restrict abortion rights and overturn the 2020 election for Donald Trump,” campaign spokesman Josh Marcus-Blank said, referring to the senator’s Republican challenger. “Our campaign will continue to highlight the contrast between Catherine’s fight for Nevada and Laxalt’s work to gain power for himself.”
A poll released Sunday by The Nevada Independent and OH Predictive Insights shows Laxalt with a slight lead over Cortez Masto with just more than five weeks until the Nov. 8 midterm elections. Laxalt led by two percentage points, 45% to 43%, with an additional 7% unsure and the last 5% saying they would vote for neither, Laxalt’s lead, however, is still within the margin of error.
The poll surveyed 741 likely voters via phone calls and text messages from Sept. 20-29, according to The Indy, with a margin of error of 3.6%.
To date, Cortez Masto’s campaign has raised $30.1 million since taking office and has $9.8 million cash on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission. Laxalt has raised $7.3 million since announcing his candidacy last August, and has $2.1 million on hand, according to FEC figures.
The FEC gives candidates running for U.S. Senate have until Oct. 15 to disclose third-quarter contributions. As of Monday afternoon, it’s unclear if Laxalt had publicly disclosed his contributions. A spokesman for Laxalt’s campaign could not be reached for comment.
