Democrats raise at least $35 million during Amy Coney Barrett hearings

Judge Amy Coney Barrett attends the third day of her Senate confirmation hearing to the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S., October 14, 2020.

Michael Reynolds | Reuters

Democrats have raked in millions of dollars in donations during the three days of Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The party has raised a total of at least $35 million during the time periods the hearings have occurred. The donations were processed through ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising website.

CNBC tracked the amount raised through the site's live ticker during the hours of Barrett's testimony starting on Monday morning and carrying into Wednesday afternoon. The topics discussed during the hearings likely resonated with Democratic donors, including the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

On Monday, which included Barrett's opening statement and remarks by lawmakers on the committee, ActBlue processed nearly $6 million in contributions. That day included an opening statement by Joe Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris.

Biden's campaign sent out fundraising emails to supporters on Monday and cited Barrett's nomination as a reason to contribute.

"This nomination is the Republicans' latest attempt to tilt the scales of the court against the Affordable Care Act, even in the wake of a pandemic when folks need coverage the most," one of the email reads.

The next day, which consisted of nearly 12 hours of questioning and Barrett's testimony, the ActBlue site notched close to $20 million in donations. The last day of questioning on Wednesday was on track to raise over $10 million. As of 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, Barrett's final day of testimony, the ActBlue ticker was still skyrocketing. Thursday's hearing will consist of lawmakers hearing from experts.

Those totals do not include the hours before and after each hearing. Republicans appear to have the votes to be able to confirm Barrett to the highest court.

The total haul may end up being less than what Democrats raised during the contentious hearings for Brett Kavanaugh. According to a report by Yahoo News, those hearings two years ago raised over $63 million.

Democrats raised $100 million in the days following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. President Donald Trump nominated Barrett to fill Ginsburg's seat.

Still, the bump in fundraising could be key for both Biden and the Democrats taking on Republicans in Senate races with only a few weeks left until many voters take to the polls.

Biden is already expected to raise more in September than he did in August, when his campaign and the Democratic National Committee combined to bring in $364 million. Biden leads Trump by about 9 points, according to a Real Clear Politics polling average.

Democrats taking on incumbent Republican senators have seen massive fundraising figures in the third quarter. Contenders such as Cal Cunningham in North Carolina, Jaime Harrison in South Carolina and John Hickenlooper in Colorado, all of whom are in races deemed as toss-ups by the Cook Political Report, have been big beneficiaries from donors.

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