Tommy Tuberville (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Contributions for Republican Tommy Tuberville are pouring in after President Donald Trump endorsed him on March 10 in Alabama’s Senate race that pits him against the president’s former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Outside groups are also backing Tuberville following Trump’s endorsement.

Tuberville has received over twice the amount in contributions over 10 days than he did between mid-February and Trump’s endorsement, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The former Auburn football coach raised over $98,000 from February through early March and received nearly $204,000 since the Trump nod.

He has raised just under $2.5 million and spent under $1.4 million through mid-February. Sessions, who held the seat until 2019 when he took the attorney general job, has raised over $819,000 and spent over $1.4 million on the race.

The two candidates face a runoff after Tuberville defeated Sessions in the March 3 GOP primary by less than two points. Trump’s endorsement might give his campaign the boost needed to edge out Sessions. Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) came in third with almost 25 percent of the vote.

The runoff was delayed by Gov. Kay Ivey to July 14 amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Republican nominee will challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, who has raised over $10 million this election cycle.

Tuberville has raised over half his cash (nearly $1.3 million) from large individual contributions, with over $243,000 in small individual contributions. Sessions has received nearly 68 percent of his donations ($554,000) in large individual contributions and almost 23 percent from PAC contributions.

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Jones has raised more than $5.4 million in large individual contributions, $2.7 million from small donors and over $1.3 million from PACs.

Conservative super PAC Club for Growth is also supporting Tuberville following Trump’s endorsement. The super PAC had already spent nearly $696,000 on negative ads against Byrne ahead of the primary. While the group considers both Sessions and Tuberville strong candidates, Trump’s involvement in the race helped it decide who to back, Politico reported.

“I think both of them can win, but I think if Trump is not fully on board it becomes harder. And he’s made it clear that Tuberville is his pick,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh told Politico.

Sessions, formerly a close aide to Trump, recused himself from overseeing investigations involving Russian interference in the 2016 elections. The decision by the former attorney general reportedly angered Trump, leading the president to attack Sessions on several occasions, and ultimately fire him.

“This is what happens to someone who loyally gets appointed Attorney General of the United States & then doesn’t have the wisdom or courage to stare down & end the phony Russia Witch Hunt,” Trump tweeted, after Sessions failed to get majority votes in the primaries.

Another super PAC called Grit PAC spent $1,200 backing Tuberville and nearly $30,000 opposing Sessions and Byrnes.

In 2018, Club for Growth had an 83 percent success rate in getting candidates elected. It is also backing the Senate bids of former Rep. Cynthia Lummis in Wyoming and incumbent Sen. Ben Sasse in Nebraska.



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