Josh Hawley Raises over $3 Million in First Quarter

Josh Hawley
Getty Images/ Chip Somodevilla
Hannah Knudsen

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) raked in over $3 million in fundraising in the first quarter of the year, outperforming establishment senators and doing so while leftists called for his resignation after he announced his intention to contest to the Electoral College votes ahead of January 6.

According to Politico, the Missouri Republican received 57,000 donations in the first three months of the year, totaling over $3 million. Hawley is not up for reelection next year, which makes the haul of particular interest. Of the over $3 million raised, roughly 600,000 was raised in the two and a half weeks following the January 6 Capitol protest, a time when leftists such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called for his resignation:

Three other prominent GOP senators — Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Tim Scott of South Carolina — each raised less than one-tenth of Hawley’s haul in the first three months of 2019, the comparable time period leading up to their 2022 reelections.

Hawley’s totals illustrate how anti-establishment Republicans are parlaying controversy into small-dollar fundraising success.

…

People close to Hawley say his fundraising performance was partly the result of a donor-prospecting effort in which he invested. They declined to disclose how much was spent on the enterprise.

Hawley rose to the spotlight in December after stepping forward as the first GOP senator to announce his intention to object to the 2020 Electoral College vote on January 6, noting Democrats in Congress had done the same in the past and were “praised by Democratic leadership and the media when they did.”

“And they were entitled to do so. But now those of us concerned about the integrity of this election are entitled to do the same,” he said, adding that he could not vote to certify the results “without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws.”

He continued:

And I cannot vote to certify without pointing out the unprecedented effort of mega corporations, including Facebook and Twitter, to interfere in this election, in support of Joe Biden. At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections. But Congress has so far failed to act,” he said. “For these reasons, I will follow the same practice Democrat members of Congress have in years past and object during the certification process on January 6 to raise these critical issues.

Days later, several GOP senators, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Kennedy (R-LA), and Mike Braun (R-IN), announced their intention to “reject the electors from disputed states” due to “unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities” occurring in the 2020 election.

However, after the January 6 Capitol protest unfolded — prompting chaos in the halls of Congress and forcing lawmakers to delay certification by several hours — leftists quickly cast blame on former President Donald Trump, as well as GOP leaders who signified their intention to object, accusing them all of inciting the demonstration.

“Both you and Senator Hawley must resign. If you do not, the Senate should move for your expulsion,” Ocasio-Cortez said at the time:

The Republican Accountability Project also targeted several GOP lawmakers who voted against certifying the election results in a $1 million effort, calling on them to resign.

“You lied about the election. There Capitol was attacked. Sen. Hawley: Resign,” one billboard read.

According to Politico, Hawley’s average donation was $52.

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