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- Donald Trump has backed challengers to Republican lawmakers who voted for his impeachment or conviction.
- Four Trump-backed challengers are trailing behind opponents in fundraising, according to recently filed disclosures.
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Liz Cheney are two Republicans that Trump is targeting.
Candidates backed by former President Donald Trump to challenge Republican lawmakers are lagging in fundraising, Reuters reported, according to disclosures filed on Friday.
Following Trump’s second impeachment, he vowed to help oust “disloyal” Republicans who voted against him.
Out of the seven Republican senators that voted to convict Trump following his impeachment over the Capitol riot, only one is up for election in 2022, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Trump previously vowed to campaign for anyone who challenged Murkowski.
“Get any candidate ready, good or bad. I don’t care. I’m endorsing. If you have a pulse, I’m with you!” Trump said.
He eventually endorsed former state administration commissioner Kelly Tshibaka.
The recent filings showed that Murkowski had raised $1.1 million between July and September, more than double the $466,000 raised by Tshibaka.
Indeed, Murkowski is yet to announce her candidacy for re-election formally.
Overall, Murkowski has raised over $3.2 million and is doing well with corporate-run donor committees, Reuters said, citing the recent filings.
The Alaskan senator raised more than $75,000 through a joint fundraising effort with several senators endorsed by Trump, including Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
Another high-profile Republican lawmaker who has been at odds with Trump is Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, one of the 10 Republicans in the House of Representatives who voted to impeach him.
On January 6, Trump reportedly said in a speech to supporters that he vowed to get rid of “the Liz Cheneys of the world.”
Cheney, a vocal critic of the former president, was ousted from a leadership role within the GOP after criticizing the party for promoting lies about the 2020 election being fraudulent.
Trump endorsed former RNC official Harriet Hageman to run against Cheney, despite revelations that the candidate had once called him “racist and xenophobic.”
Despite her precarious role within her party, recent filings show that Cheney has raised $1.7 million during a three-month period, compared with the $300,000 raised by Hageman, Reuters said.
Cheney received donations from several Wall Street executives, including Blackstone Chief Investment Officer Prakash Melwani, the outlet reported.
Meanwhile, Hageman received a donation from the controversial billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel.
Trump has also endorsed challengers to two other Representatives who voted to impeach him; Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state and Fred Upton of Michigan.
Herrera Beutler raised $524,000 between July and September, compared with $452,000 raised by her Trump-backed challenger Joe Kent, Reuters said.
Meanwhile, Upton raised $293,000, more than twice the $116,000 raised by the Trump-backed candidate Steve Carra.
Although fundraising more money does not necessarily assure victory, it can help increase exposure through advertising.
For House seats, typically more than 90 percent of candidates who spend the most win, according to Five Thirty Eight, citing the Center for Responsive Politics.
However, the outlet adds that it’s not necessarily the money that delivers victory but rather that a winning candidate is more likely to attract funds.
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