Money continued to flow as the midterm election year kicked off. 

Fundraising reports covering the first three months of the year show that it was a fruitful first quarter for many congressional candidates, with a handful of Senate hopefuls reporting eight-figure hauls and some House candidates surpassing the $2 million mark. 

Here are four takeaways from the reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, which were due before 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

Senate Democratic candidates report big hauls

Democratic Senate candidates — both incumbents and challengers — continue to rake in staggering sums. 

In Texas, state Rep. James Talarico, who clinched the Democratic nomination last month, reported bringing in $27.1 million, which his campaign said is the largest amount ever raised by a Senate candidate in the first quarter of an election year. Talarico, who had nearly $10 million banked on March 31, will next face the winner of next month’s Republican runoff between Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cornyn’s campaign announced a haul of “nearly $9 million” across his various fundraising committees, with collectively “over $8 million in cash on hand.” Paxton’s campaign reported raising $1.7 million over the first three months of the year and ended March with $2.1 million in the bank. 

In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff built on his already massive cash advantage with a first-quarter haul of $14 million, ending March with close to $32 million on hand. Among his Republican challengers, Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter reported $470,000 in contributions since Jan. 1 and had $3.7 million banked; former college football coach Derek Dooley raised $664,000 and had $2.2 million on hand; and Rep. Mike Collins raised $1 million and entered April with $2.1 million in his account.

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper reeled in a hefty $8.8 million through his main campaign account and had $18.4 million on hand in his quest to flip the state’s open Senate seat. His opponent, former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, trailed with his campaign committee reporting $3.2 raised and $2.5 million banked.

Ohio’s Sherrod Brown, seeking to return to the Senate after his 2024 defeat, continues to display the fundraising prowess that has marked his career, hauling in $10.1 million in the first quarter with $16.5 million in his account on March 31. Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to his seat and is facing his first Senate election test, reported raising $2.9 million and ended the quarter with $8.2 million banked.

In Alaska, a red state that Democrats increasingly believe is within their grasp, former Rep. Mary Peltola reported raising $8.6 million in her first filing since entering the Senate race. That’s far more than Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan’s $1.7 million first-quarter haul. But Peltola’s impressive haul is tempered by a cash-on-hand imbalance: Sullivan had $7.1 million banked to Peltola’s $5.7 million.

In Maine, Democrat Graham Platner was the first-quarter fundraising leader, hauling in $4.1 million compared with GOP Sen. Susan Collins’ $3.1 million. Platner’s primary opponent, Gov. Janet Mills, reported raising more than $2.6 million over the first three months of the year. Collins, though, had the edge in cash on hand, entering April with $10 million in the bank, compared with $2.7 million for Platner and $1.1 million for Mills. 

Iowa, home to an open seat that Democrats believe is within the party’s grasp, was a fundraising bright spot for Republicans. Rep. Ashley Hinson raised $2.4 million and had $6.5 million banked. The two Democrats competing for the seat — state Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls — each raised $1.1 million, though Wahls had $1 million in the bank to Turek’s $757,000.

Money race heats up in key Senate primaries

In Michigan, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow was the quarter’s top fundraiser in the race for the open seat retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is vacating. She raised $3 million in the first quarter and had $3.7 million on hand, while fellow Democrats Abdul El-Sayed, a former local health official, took in $2.3 million and had $2.5 million in the bank and Rep. Haley Stevens raised $2 million and had $3.4 million available. Former Rep. Mike Rogers, who’s largely cleared the Republican field, raised $2.2 million in the first quarter and ended March with $4.2 million available. 

In Minnesota, Rep. Angie Craig outraised Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in their biting primary for the Democratic Senate nomination. Craig raised $2.5 million in the first quarter and ended last month with $4.9 million available, while Flanagan raised $1.4 million and had $1.1 million on hand. Meanwhile, Republican Michele Tafoya, who joined the race in January, raised $2 million and had $1.9 million available at the end of March. 

New Hampshire Rep. Chris Pappas raised $3.3 million in the first quarter for his bid to succeed fellow Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, and he had $4.2 million banked at the end of last month. He outraised both Republicans in the race: former Sen. John E. Sununu (who raised $1.1 million and had $1.9 million on hand) and former Massachusetts Sen. Scott P. Brown (who hauled in $321,000 and had $783,000 available).

In Louisiana’s increasingly bitter Senate primary, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy was outraised by Rep. Julia Letlow, who entered the race in January at President Donald Trump’s urging. Cassidy, though, ended the quarter with more cash on hand ($7.1 million compared $2.3 million for Letlow). Another primary challenger, state Treasurer John Fleming loaned his campaign $2.5 million and repaid himself $1.9 million. He ended March with $2.2 million banked.

In Kentucky, home to another contentious GOP Senate contest, Rep. Andy Barr was the fundraising leader with $1.5 million raised and $4.2 million on hand. Former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron trailed with a quarterly haul of $456,000 and cash balance of $765,000, while businessman Nate Morris raised $1 million for the quarter, including a $450,000 loan, and entered April with $581,000 banked.

And in the blue-on-blue contest in Massachusetts, Democratic Sen. Edward J. Markey reported raising $776,000, while primary challenger Rep. Seth Moulton took in $1.1 million. Moulton also had more cash on hand than Markey as of March 31: $3.3 million to $2.5 million.

Vulnerable House Republicans get outraised

In House races considered competitive by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, 13 Democratic challengers outraised the Republican incumbents they’re seeking to unseat, while three GOP challengers outraised Democratic lawmakers.

A handful of those challengers raised more than $2 million in the first three months of the year, an eye-popping sum for House candidates. They included Democrats JoAnna Mendoza in Arizona’s 6th District, Christina Bohannan in Iowa’s 1st, Janelle Stelson in Pennsylvania’s 10th and Rebecca Cooke in Wisconsin’s 3rd.   

Other Democrats who outpaced GOP incumbents in the first quarter included Jessica Killin in Colorado’s 5th District; Jamie Ager in North Carolina’s 11th; and Sarah Trone Garriott in Iowa’s 3rd, though her opponent, Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, had more cash banked.

Republicans Tano Tijerina in Texas’ 28th District, Eric Flores in Texas’ 34th and Carrie Buck in Nevada’s 1st were the three Republican challengers to outraise Democratic incumbents in competitive races. 

Florida Republican Cory Mills, whose 7th District race is rated Likely Republican by Inside Elections, raised just $75,000 in the first quarter, trailing Democrats Bale Dalton ($349,000) and Marialana Kinter ($295,000). Mills, who ended March with $116,000 on hand and over $2 million in campaign debt, is the subject of an Ethics Committee investigation and is accused of sexually harassing his ex-girlfriend, assault and campaign finance misrepresentation. 

Fellow Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat who also faces an Ethics investigation with a public hearing set for next week, reported taking in less than $11,000 in the first quarter, far below primary challengers Dale Holness ($121,000) and Elijah Manley ($102,000). Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign closed March with $11,000 on hand and $4.4 million in debt. The 20th District is rated as Solid Democratic. 

Some primary challengers outraise House incumbents

Some Democratic incumbents facing primary challengers were narrowly outraised. 

New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat raised $234,000, while Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is challenging him from the left, raised $266,000. Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen, who is facing a challenge from state Rep. Justin Pearson, raised $342,000 to Pearson’s $374,000. Both Espaillat and Cohen maintained larger war chests than their challengers. 

In Georgia’s 13th District, Democratic Rep. David Scott’s quarterly haul of $58,000 was bested by several primary challengers, including state Rep. Jasmine Clark ($622,000) and educator Everton Blair ($157,000.)

In Massachusetts’ solid-blue 8th District, first-time candidate Patrick Roath once again outraised longtime Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, $288,000 to $160,000, though Lynch had $1.2 million banked to Roath’s $410,000. 

And in Connecticut’s 1st District, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin raised $511,000 in his effort to defeat Democratic Rep. John B. Larson, who took in $452,000. Bronin also entered April with $1.8 million in the bank to Larson’s $1.1 million.

Meanwhile, a rare member-on-member race in Southern California’s redrawn 40th District continues to draw big money. Republican Rep. Young Kim brought in $1.3 million and ended the quarter with $5.8 million. Her primary opponent, Rep. Ken Calvert, raised $752,000 and had $3.7 million on hand.