Sean Parnell, a Republican candidate for a Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat and an Afghanistan war veteran who led the infamous “Outlaw Platoon,” raised more campaign contributions from actual donors than all other Republican primary candidates combined.
After former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, Parnell has exponentially blown away the rest of the Republican primary candidates in fundraising from donors.
Fundraising numbers from the other Republican campaigns Parnell is facing in the primary appear to be larger. However, Parnell, who’s been relying on donations from actual Americans to fund his campaign, was able to raise $1,113,811.19 from donations in the third quarter. The other three candidates Parnell is facing combined were only able to raise $899,742 after you take away the money the candidates used to self-fund their campaigns, according to numbers provided by the Parnell campaign.
Parnell has been able to use his endorsement from Trump to create a significant war chest full of small-dollar donations leading up to the midterms next year, where he will have a to face the onslaught of Republican challengers vying for the seat currently being held by the retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA).
Last week, Parnell announced that he raised $1,113,811.19 without any self-funding, with $485,389.72 of the money raised from small-dollar donations. Parnell raised more in small-dollar donations (less than $200) than anybody else in the field raised from total donations, his campaign said:
- Carla Sands’ campaign raised $3,554,031. However, only $454,031.13 from her fundraising total was raised without self-funding–additionally, only $5,778.26 from small-dollar donations.
- Jeff Bartos’s campaign raised $651,459.93. However, only $241,888 from his fundraising total was raised without self-funding–additionally, only $5,878 from small-dollar donations.
- Kathy Barnette’s campaign raised $203,823.30. However, only $80,795.75 from his fundraising total was raised from small-dollar donations.
Trump endorsed Parnell in September, saying, “Sean Parnell is running for the United States Senate to serve the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” adding that he “will always put American First,” which is why Trump is giving him his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Breitbart News recently profiled Parnell’s rise in Pennsylvania. In the interview, he told Breitbart News that “Pennsylvania voters are seeking candidates for office who will put America and the people of our great nation first.”
“If the chaos in Afghanistan has highlighted anything, it’s the fact that there’s a gigantic leadership vacuum in Washington, DC,” Parnell said, talking about the chaos that erupted in Afghanistan from President Joe Biden’s botched withdrawal plan, which ended in the death of 13 U.S. service members, leaving hundreds left in the country.
“The only way to fix that is to start electing more citizen leaders and fewer career politicians. I’m not going to the Senate to be a follower. I’m going there to be a leader because I know our nation stands on a very thin line between hope and darkness,” Parnell said.
The profile about Parnell outlined his future, possibly determining who holds the majority in the Senate after the midterm election, which is currently split down the middle 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats. If Parnell wins, it could help sway the majority to the Republicans.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter.