Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids recorded her best fundraising quarter in a bid for a second term, raising about $1.4 million and leading her Republican challenger Amanda Adkins by about $600,000.
The amount of money Davids raised was better than the $875,192 she raised in the second quarter of this year and the $546,993 she raked in during the first quarter.
During 2019, Davids raised an average of about $550,000 each quarter as she campaigned for a second term in the 3rd District.
Davids reported having about $1.9 million on hand at the end of the reporting period on Sept. 30.
Adkins also posted her best quarter to date, but it wasn’t enough to offset the sums Davids was bringing in.
Adkins raised about $850,000, which was better than the $205,417 she raised in the second quarter and the $230,315 she brought in the first quarter.
Despite the fundraising total, Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia changed the rating for the 3rd District race from “likely Democrat” to “safe Democrat.”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed Davids in the race – much to Adkins’ dismay – and Americans for Prosperity Action is not targeting the district.
New data from Advertising Analytics also show Davids spending almost five times as much on television as Adkins.
Davids has spent about $2 million on television compared to about $421,000 for Adkins.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was in Kansas this week campaigning for state Treasurer Jake LaTurner in the 2nd Congressional District and Tracey Mann in the 1st Congressional District.
He was asked why didn’t make a stop in the 3rd District for Adkins.
“It was just timing,” McCarthy told reporters.
“One thing I always try to do when I come to a state, especially a state that only has four congressional districts, I don’t want to overload and go to all of them.
“I want to come back. Part of this is talking to the individuals, helping them raise money as well,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back.”
McCarthy said he thought Republicans could still win the 3rd District, based on the candidates and what Davids had accomplished in Congress. He did not elaborate.
A recent poll done by Republican consultant JD Johannes showed Davids leading Adkins by 20 percentage points. The Adkins campaign said the race is much closer.
Davids has been dominating the airwaves, especially with ads emphasizing Adkins’ connections to former Gov. Sam Brownback, who left office in 2018 deeply unpopular.
The Adkins campaign dismisses the ads as distortion, although it was expected months ago that Brownback would become a campaign issue.
The former governor even surfaced in the Republican primary against Adkins.
“It’s no surprise Sharice Davids has to resort to misleading mudslinging to distract voters from her radical record,” spokesman Matt Trail said in an email last week when asked about the Brownback ads.
“On the issues that matter most to Kansas City families, like taxes, health care, and public safety, the choice is clear. A vote for Sharice Davids is a vote for higher taxes and a government takeover of health care.”
Davids, meanwhile, touted her efforts trying to help working families.
“It’s clear that my work to lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs, provide much-needed relief to our workers and small businesses during this pandemic, and stand up to special interests in Washington is resonating with people across the Kansas Third,” Davids said in a statement.
“While our campaign might look different this year, Kansans are more engaged than ever and determined to continue the progress we’ve made together.”
