Senate Majority PAC is run by people close to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and ascending Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. | AP Photo Big donors give $19 million for Democratic Senate

Democratic donors seeking a Senate takeover poured $19.3 million into Senate Majority PAC's coffers in the first 19 days of October, the best fundraising period for the leadership-aligned group in its history, officials said Thursday morning.

The primary clearinghouse for big-money Democratic Senate donors enters the final stretch of the election with $13 million on hand, a number that's helping finance about $18 million in spending from the PAC and affiliated groups over the last two weeks of the election.


"Record-setting support has us well positioned for this final stretch of the cycle. In less than two weeks, Democrats are going to take back the Senate," said Shripal Shah, a spokesman for Senate Majority PAC.

The massive haul shows burgeoning donor hope for sweeping Senate gains as Democrats become confident that Hillary Clinton will defeat Donald Trump for the presidency. Senate Majority PAC narrowly outraised Priorities USA, the pro-Clinton Super PAC that pulled in $18 million in the first 19 days of October. Through Oct. 19, Senate Majority PAC has raised about $75 million for the 2016 election cycle.

Senate Majority PAC, along with labor and environmental groups and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, are set to run significantly more ads down the homestretch than Republicans due to early ad reservations. Senate Leadership Fund, a conservative group with ties to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has emerged as a foil to Senate Majority PAC, pouring in $25 million in late money that will help make up that spending gap, though it gets less bang for its buck with such late buys.

Senate Majority PAC is run by people close to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and ascending Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and spent millions of dollars early in Pennsylvania, Nevada and New Hampshire to keep those toss-up races close, viewed as critical chess moves to keep Democrats competitive. Not every investment paid off: SMP also spent nearly $10 million in Ohio, where Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has pulled away from Democrat Ted Strickland with a double-digit lead.