IN-SEN: Brains or Braun?

[Former Kentuckian]

Q4 numbers:

Braun: 2 million (!!!)
Donnelly: 1.2 million
Messer: 430 thousand (!!!)
Rokita: hasn't posted his numbers yet...?

(source) https://howeypolitics.com/

Okay, I'm not sure how Rokita hasn't posted his numbers yet since we're past the filling deadline, but whatever. I know Braun is independently wealthy, but wow. 2 million? And Messer could only muster up 430 thousand? This is a three-way horserace. Definitely one to watch.

Braun is self-financing. 90% of his funds are from himself, and he says he has more on the way. Donnelly and the other Republicans have been relying on traditional fundraising.

[Former Kentuckian]

If 90% of Braun's funds are self-financed as Cal said, then that would put his traditional fundraising figures at ~200k.  Which would still mean Donnelly is outraising the Republican field through traditional fundraising.  A bit over ~1mil for the Republican field and ~1.2mil for Donnelly is encouraging numbers.

I'm not saying that Braun's self-fundraising should be ignored, it's very clearly a threat.  But I don't think we should act like Donnelly's fundraising is suddenly awful because Braun has more personal wealth to juke up his own numbers.

Here's percentages breaking down donations and self-financing: https://www.opensecrets.org/races/candidates?cycle=2018&id=INS1&spec=N

Braun has raised less than $400,000 from donors and has loaned his campaign over $3 million since announcing. Donnelly still has over twice on-hand what Braun does, though.