Warnock Gains Momentum Following Another Strong Fundraising Quarter, Growing Support

FROM: Jerid Kurtz, Campaign Manager, Warnock for Georgia
TO: Interested Parties
DATE: July 16, 2020
RE: Warnock Gains Momentum Following Another Strong Fundraising Quarter, Growing Support

In the race for Georgia’s special Senate Election, Reverend Raphael Warnock, Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, the spiritual home of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., has built a formidable operation that is well-positioned to flip the seat held by embattled Senator Kelly Loeffler in less than six months. Warnock, who is a first-time candidate, now commands a top-tier campaign that has earned endorsements among Georgians and national leaders with financial resources and grassroots support to compete statewide.

A native of Savannah, Warnock, who is vying to be the Peach State’s first African-American United States Senator, has centered his campaign on critical issues for Georgia voters, including: access to quality and affordable health care; good schools for all our children and affordable education and technical training for everyone; fighting for the dignity of working people and livable wages; and protecting voting rights. As Georgia confronts the public health crisis and its own reckoning on race, Reverend Warnock has been a leader “among those that set the tone” and now stands out in the field.

FUNDRAISING

Warnock is Building Grassroots Infrastructure and Resources to Communicate Statewide

In the two fundraising quarters Reverend Warnock has been in the race, he’s led the field. Despite joining the race a month into Q1, he outraised both Senator Loeffler and Congressman Doug Collins, a performance that repeated in Q2 when he raised nearly $3 million.

Warnock’s cash haul also points to robust small-dollar support, a measure of grassroots enthusiasm and the resonance of Warnock’s candidacy. In addition, the Campaign has built one of the fastest growing email lists for a first-time candidate, proving that he will be the best-funded Democrat, with the resources to communicate on statewide TV/Radio in the fall.

Key Highlights: For the cycle, Team Warnock has earned:

• Total Raised: Over $4.4 Million Raised
• Cash-on-Hand: Nearly $2.9 Million
• Individual Contributions: 105,000
• Individual Contributors: 64,000
• Over 93% of Contributions are under $100
• Average Online Donation $34.80
• Contributions from every Georgia Congressional District

POLLING AND ANALYSIS

Recent Surveys Have Shown A Tight Race Between Warnock and Leading GOP Candidates

Despite millions of dollars of spending for Loeffler and Collins, Warnock remains competitive and polling has shown a margin-of-error race with both Republicans. A recent survey also showed that once voters hear more about him, Georgians choose Warnock by significant margins over all candidates.

Key Highlights:

• Public Policy Polling (June 2020) found a tight race in Georgia across the board. In the special Senate Election, Warnock (20%) begins the race virtually tied with Loeffler (21%) and Collins (23%). And in head-to-head matchups Warnock remains competitive, leading Loeffler (43% to 40%) and within the margin of error with Collins (41% to 43%).
• After voters hear Warnock’s biography, he leads the field: Warnock (36%), Collins (23%), Loeffler (18%), and beats both Loeffler (46% to 39%) and Collins (44% to 42%).

• Civiqs (May 2020) found Warnock taking second place (18%), over incumbent Senator Loeffler who places fourth (12%), without any paid advertising. In a runoff scenario, Warnock leads Loeffler (45% to 32%), and he beats Collins (45% to 44%) — the only Democratic candidate to do so. Across the board, polling has pointed to a common trend: Warnock performs the best against GOP candidates with key groups needed to flip Georgia, including Black voters, suburban women, and independents.
• Independent analysts and political handicappers agree: the race has grown competitive over time due to Warnock’s unique candidacy. And last week alone, independent analysts at Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball highlighted growing competitiveness that favored him.

Key Highlights:

• In January 2020, The Cook Political Report moved the race in Democrats’ direction after Warnock entered the race. In May 2020, National Journal ranked the Georgia special election among the most competitive Senate races in the country, calling it a battleground. And in July 2020, Inside Elections shifted its rating in Warnock’s direction.

SUPPORT

Warnock Has Consolidated Support, Receiving More Major Endorsements Than Any Other Candidate in The Race.

While the race takes shape, one thing is clear: Warnock is the candidate who can flip this seat. He’s earned support from Georgia leaders and national figures — including the majority of the U.S. Senate’s Democratic Caucus — drawing support from progressives, moderates, and conservatives alike. Notably, he was the first candidate in the country to earn the backing of Stacey Abrams and has legislators from all of Georgia’s metro areas: Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Savannah and Valdosta.

Key Highlights: Team Warnock now counts the following among its endorsers:

• 31 United States Senators and 6 Congressional Representatives
• 14 Georgia State Senators and 46 State Representatives
• 12 Atlanta City Council Members and 4 Past Council Presidents
• Georgia’s Most Recent Democratic United States Senator

Below, is a full list of public support for the Warnock for Georgia campaign.

Candidates
Jon Ossoff, Georgia U.S. Senate Candidate, challenging David Perdue

United States Senators
Kamala Harris, California
Michael Bennet, Colorado
Chris Murphy, Connecticut
Chris Coons, Delaware
Brian Schatz, Hawai’i
Duckworth, Illinois
Dick Durbin, Illinois
Edward Markey, Massachusetts
Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts
Debbie Stabenow, Michigan
Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota
Tina Smith, Minnesota
Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire
Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire
Cory Booker, New Jersey
Martin Heinrich, New Mexico
Tom Udall, New Mexico
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York
Chuck Schumer, New York
Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada
Jeff Merkley, Oregon
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Sherrod Brown, Ohio
Bob Casey Jr., Pennsylvania
Jack Reed, Rhode Island
Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
Tim Kaine, Virginia
Mark Warner, Virginia
Maria Cantwell, Washington
Patty Murray, Washington
Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin

Congressional Representatives
Sanford Bishop, Georgia’s 2nd District
Hank Johnson, Georgia’s 4th District
Former Congressman John Lewis, Georgia’s 5th District
David Scott, Georgia’s 13th District
Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts’s 7th
Jim Clyburn, South Carolina’s 6th

Georgia Senate and House of Representatives
Lester Jackson, Senator, GA-2
Jen Jordan, Senator, GA-6
Emanuel Jones, Senator, GA-10
Freddie Powell Sims, Senator, GA-12
Ed Harbison, Senator, GA-15
David Lucas, Senator, GA-26
Valencia Seay, Senator, GA-34
Donzella James, Senator, GA-35
Nan Orrock, Senator, GA-36
Horacena Tate, Senator, GA-38
Steve Henson, Senator, GA-41
Elena Parent, Senator, GA-42
Gail Davenport, Senator, GA-44
Gloria Butler, Senator, GA-55
Erick Allen, Rep., GA-40
Betsy Holland, Rep.,GA-54
Mable Thomas, Rep., GA-56
Pat Gardner, Rep., GA-57
Park Cannon, Rep., GA-58
David Dreyer, Rep., GA-59
Roger Bruce, Rep., GA-61
William Boddie, Rep., GA-62
Debra Bazemore, Rep., GA-63
Sharon Beasley-Teague, Rep., GA-65
Kimberly Alexander, Rep., GA-66
Demetrius Douglas, Rep., GA-78
Mike Wilensky, Rep., GA-79
Mary Margaret Oliver, Rep.,GA-82
Becky Evans, Rep., GA-83
Renitta Shannon, Rep., GA-84
Karla Drenner, Rep., GA-85
Michele Henson, Rep., GA-86
Billy Mitchell, Rep., GA-88
Bee Nguyen, Rep., GA-89
Doreen Carter, Rep., GA-92
Karen Bennett, Rep., GA-94
Beth Moore, Rep., GA-95
Pedro Marin, Rep., GA-96
Brenda Lopez Romero, Rep., GA-99
Dewey McClain, Rep., GA-100
Sam Park, Rep., GA-101
Gregg Kennard, Rep., GA-102
Donna McLeod, Rep., GA-105
Shelly Hutchinson, Rep.,GA-107
El-Mahdi Holly, Rep., GA-111
Pam Dickerson, Rep., GA-113
Spencer Frye, Rep., GA-118
Sheila Nelson, Rep., GA-125
Gloria Frazier, Rep., GA-126
Bob Trammell, Rep., GA-132
Calvin Smyre, Rep., GA-135
Carolyn Hugley, Rep., GA-136
Debbie Buckner, Rep., GA-137
Patty Bentley, Rep., GA-139
James Beverly, Rep., GA-143
Camia Hopson, Rep., GA-153
Carl Gilliard, Rep., GA-162
J. Craig Gordon, Rep., GA-163
Al Williams, Rep., GA-168
Dexter Sharper, Rep., GA-177

Georgia Municipal elected officials
Felicia Moore, ATL City Council
Amir Farokhi, ATL City Council
Natalyn Archibong, ATL City Council
Jennifer Ide, ATL City Council
Dustin Hillis, ATL City Council
Andrea Boone, ATL City Council
Marci Overstreet, ATL City Council
Joyce Sheperd, ATL City Council
Michael Bond, ATL City Council
Matt Westmoreland, ATL City Council
Andre Dickens, ATL City Council
Robb Pitts, Fulton County Commissioner
Marvin Arrington, Sr., Fulton County Judge

Former Georgia elected officials
Stacey Abrams, House Minority Leader and 2018 gubernatorial candidate
Andrew Young, UN Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor
Jason Carter, State representative and 2014 gubernatorial candidate
Stacey Evans, State Representative and 2018 gubernatorial candidate
Max Cleland, United States Senator
Lisa Borders, Atlanta City Council President
Cathy Woolard, Atlanta City Council President

National organizations
Planned Parenthood
NARAL Pro-Choice America
Progressive Turnout Project
Democracy for America
End Citizens United
The Collective PAC
League of Conservation Voters
Brady PAC
Congressional Black Caucus
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee

GEORGIA DYNAMICS

Georgia is Changing: Warnock is the Candidate Best Equipped to Take Advantage of the Shift

For weeks, news coverage has pointed to an increasingly competitive state of play across the Sun Belt. In 2020, Georgia Republicans are vulnerable, evidenced by Democrats leading or within the margin of error of winning traditionally Republican-held seats at the federal level. And Georgia Democrats are within range of flipping the State House, potentially giving themselves a seat at the table for redistricting.

Key Highlights: Some of the gains that Warnock can uniquely expand on, such as:

• Since 2016, Georgia Democrats have flipped historically GOP suburban counties; broken the State Senate supermajority and picked up House seats, mayorships and city council seats, and won almost 49% of the vote in the Governor’s race, while holding Republicans to single digit margins in other statewide contests.
• The June 9th primary also saw record-breaking turnout with 1.3 Million people voting in the Democratic Primary to challenge David Perdue, despite chaos and continued voter suppression at the hands of state officials. And nearly half of the over 300,000 newly registered voters since 2018 (when Stacey Abrams fell short just 55,000 votes) are people of color.

BOTTOM LINE

Looking ahead to Election Day, Reverend Warnock is the candidate positioned to win support across urban, suburban, and rural Georgia; capitalize on the state’s new battleground status; and provide Democrats the best chance to flip a U.S. Senate seat in a generation.