Donors open their wallets to progressives challenging Trump while Musk backs Trump allies

By David Wright, Fredreka Schouten and Alex Leeds Matthews, CNN

(CNN) — Donors filled the coffers of Democrats who have emerged as prominent critics of President Donald Trump in the first months of his second term – signaling an early surge of enthusiasm among progressive contributors, new campaign reports filed Tuesday show.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the country’s best-known progressives, raised $9.6 million during the first quarter of the year, a record-breaking haul for the New York Democrat and one of the strongest quarterly fundraising hauls ever for a House member.

But 18 months before the midterm elections that could determine whether Democrats flip the House from Republican control, some of the most vulnerable Republicans are building big war chests of their own.

Here are some key takeaways from the first fundraising reports of the year:

Donors shower Trump critics with campaign cash

Ocasio-Cortez’s fundraising in the first three months of the year more than doubled her previous quarterly record of $4.4 million, from the third quarter of 2020.

The blockbuster fundraising by Ocasio-Cortez — in a safe House seat that she won by nearly 40 percentage points last year — reflects her growing stature within the Democratic Party as it looks to chart a path forward in the wake of losses in 2024 while facing demands for generational change from some of its voters.

Ocasio-Cortez’s position as a progressive leader in the party was further underscored by Sen. Bernie Sanders’ decision to bring her on several stops of his nationwide “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which has drawn sizable crowds to rallies across the country. The congresswoman’s early appearances on the tour overlapped with the fundraising period. Her campaign manager said that 64% of the campaign’s donors were first-time contributors.

For his part, Sanders, a Vermont independent, raised $11.5 million in the first quarter of the year. Sanders, who just began his fourth Senate term, entered April with more than $19 million remaining in his campaign account.

“The people are sending Democrats a message about the direction they would like to see,” a top Sanders adviser, Faiz Shakir, wrote on X in response to a post about AOC’s fundraising total.

Other Trump critics also posted eye-popping sums. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who, like Sanders, doesn’t face reelection until 2030, raised a whopping $8 million during the first quarter – the biggest haul of his Senate career. He’s become a leading Trump critic on social media.

And Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett raised more than $1.6 million during the first three months of the year – the first seven-figure fundraising quarter for the Democratic firebrand and nearly double her previous quarterly record.

Vulnerable House Republicans build war chests, too

Republicans head into next year’s elections holding one of the narrowest House majorities ever and facing the weight of history. The president’s party typically loses ground in congressional midterms.

Four of seven Republicans seeking reelection in districts rated as tossups by “Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales,” reported raising at least $1 million apiece during the first three months of the year.

GOP Rep. Mike Lawler, now in his second term representing a suburban New York district, led the way with a nearly $1.5 million haul. Lawler, who is weighing a bid to challenge New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, entered April with $1.3 million remaining in his campaign account, Tuesday’s filings show.

Other vulnerable Republicans reporting seven-figure hauls include: Reps. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa and Jen Kiggans of Virginia.

GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, who is seeking reelection in a suburban Philadelphia district that Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly carried last year, had an even bigger cash stockpile, ending March with more than $5 million remaining in his campaign accounts.

Musk backs Trump allies in Congress

Early filings on Tuesday show that Trump ally Elon Musk – who emerged as the single largest political donor in 2024’s federal races – made personal donations to nearly two dozen congressional candidates, from Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the conservative firebrand, to Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Musk has railed against federal judges who have blocked Trump’s policies and has urged lawmakers to impeach them. Most of the Musk donations were for $6,600, the maximum donation allowed directly to a federal candidate.

Several other conservatives also received maxed-out donations from Musk in the quarter, including Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson and Texas Rep. Brandon Gill, who had introduced a bill to put Trump’s image on the $100 bill.

As CNN and other outlets have reported, the Tesla CEO has committed to putting $100 million in Trump’s political organizations.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.