U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman has a significant lead in fundraising for the U.S. Senate race, with $2 million in campaign committee receipts, according to recent filings with the Federal Election Commission. This amount is eight times more than her closest fundraising opponent, Sam Mead, in the Aug. 18 Republican Primary.

Fundraising Details

Hageman’s campaign committee, Hageman For Wyoming, has spent $1.9 million. In contrast, Mead’s total receipts amount to $252,015, with $86,834 spent. Other Wyoming Republican candidates for U.S. Senate, such as Jimmy Skovgard, have reported significantly less in total receipts, with $10,379.

Hageman’s receipts include $62,000 from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and $469,500 from entities associated with the oil and gas industry, as well as the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers PAC. She also received $221,365 from other committees, including Keep the Senate Red, which donated $52,679. The Hageman Victory Fund contributed $38,939, both earmarked for the primary.

Response to Criticism

Mead criticized Hageman’s war chest, stating that her fundraising relies on out-of-state donors, Beltway special interests, and entrenched political forces, rather than Wyoming residents. Hageman rejected this criticism, with her campaign advisor, Tim Murtaugh, stating that over 29,000 individual donors have expressed support for Hageman by donating to her campaign since she announced her run for the U.S. Senate in December.

Murtaugh emphasized that Hageman is running a campaign based on her record of representing Wyoming’s values in Congress, staying connected with people, and being accessible. Hageman’s campaign said she remains closely linked to Wyoming residents, with Murtaugh stating, ‘No one will ever ‘out grassroots’ Harriet Hageman.’

Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.