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Jaime Harrison raises record $57 million in bid to unseat Lindsey Graham

Sunday, 25 October 2020 6:56 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 25 October 2020 10:57 PM ]

Democratic South Carolina Senate nominee Jaime Harrison (left) and incumbent Senator Lindsey Graham

US Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison has raised a record $57 million last quarter in his bid to unseat incumbent Senator Lindsey Graham for the South Carolina Senate seat in an election that analysts say is determined by the Big Money.

“Yes, we raised $57 million, but we spent $60 million," Harrison, an associate chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told The Associated Press.

Harrison's campaign said the money was used to raise his profile to a level competitive with that of Graham, a Republican who previously served in the US House and as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and maintains a high national profile.

Harrison’s campaign said that $34 million of that third-quarter money was spent on television advertising, alone.

The Democratic contender explained that his campaign money had to be spent on advertisements to boost his status up to a level to match that of his three-term senate Republican rival.

“[T]hat is what we had to do in order to get this thing to toss-up status, in order to bridge the gap,” he pointed out.

6 billion dollar will be spent during 2020 US election cycle: Report

The company Advertising Analytics has predicted that a total of $6 billion will be spent during the 2020 presidential election cycle.

Graham's campaign, which has raised $28 million during that same period of fundraising, said the fundraising money it had raised was the largest amount ever raised by a Republican Senate candidate in a single quarter in any election in any state.

In the meantime, Advertising Analytics company said US politicians spent almost $1 billion on advertising this year.

The company predicted that a total of $6 billion will be spent during the 2020 election cycle.

Analysts believe the Big Money determine which politicians enter US politics.

“The political process in Washington is too corrupt to be fixed. It’s debauched. It’s money controlled,” according to Stephen Lendman, a political analyst and author in Chicago.

Lendman told Press TV in an interview that the United States was controlled by Big Money, wealthy people whose interests were served by the government and other public institutions at the expense of ordinary Americans.

America is controlled by Big Money: Journalist

America is controlled by Big Money, wealthy people whose interests are served by the government and other public institutions at the expense ordinary Americans, a political analyst says.

“America is a one-party state, literally a one-party state with two right wings -- Republicans and Democrats ... There is no real democracy in America. There’s never been democracy in America. The founders created a country to be run by its rich," Lendman pointed out.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk