As leader race looms, John Thune takes Senate map by storm to boost GOP candidates

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., is blitzing through battleground states in the lead-up to the election, helping boost Republicans in their quest to take the Senate majority as he simultaneously vies to be their next leader. 

The Senate is in recess for the month of October and won't be back until after the election, but Thune doesn't seem to be slowing down in the meantime. This weekend, the minority whip will be in Nevada for events with Senate candidate Sam Brown, who is taking on vulnerable Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., a source shared with Fox News Digital. 

Afterward, he's heading to New York City to raise money for Brown, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick, and Michigan Senate candidate former Rep. Mike Rogers, as well as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

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Later in the month, the source told Fox News Digital that Thune would be joining McCormick in Pennsylvania, Senate candidate Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., in Indiana and Senate candidate Tim Sheehy in Montana. 

He also has an array of events lined up with several senators who aren't up for re-election as he looks to lock down more support in the GOP conference. 

"It's an insider's game," said Ron Bonjean, a former chief of staff of the Senate Republican Conference told Fox News Digital of the leader race. 

"John Thune is playing the inside game while showing enthusiasm—showing public enthusiasm by going to the states."

"They're going to remember that Thune was there over the last few weeks before the election," said Bonjean, who was a spokesman for Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott when he was majority leader.

"Money is important, but showing up matters. And if you can do both, that really can do wonders . . . for racking up Senate votes."

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Thune is one of three announced leader candidates, alongside Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rick Scott, R-Fla. 

Cornyn has established himself as a prolific fundraiser during his tenure, a factor that is certain to play into the race, given outgoing Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's reputation as a fundraising behemoth. 

A source familiar with the Texas Republican's political operation told Fox News Digital, "Sen. Cornyn plans to visit multiple battleground states across the country to campaign with candidates over the October recess and raise valuable hard dollars as he’s done for the last two decades, totaling more than $400 million since 2002." 

His all-time fundraising is something he's looked to emphasize in recent days, sending his donor network a letter this week highlighting the data and further specifying that he has brought in $500,000 for 33 different Republican senators and candidates over the years and even raised over $1 million each for four senators. Additionally, the source shared that since 2009, Cornyn has driven $287 million to the NRSC through both transfers and direct fundraising.

This cycle alone, the senator has brought in $26 million for Republicans, and $11.8 million specifically for the NRSC. He notably served as NRSC chair twice and was lauded for his leadership in the role. 

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Thune has raised over $29 million this cycle, and a source familiar shared with Fox News Digital that the South Dakota senator expects to hit $30 million during his October travels. 

Recently, he announced a record-breaking $4 million transfer to the NRSC to assist with competitive races. Thune was the previous record-holder, with a prior $2 million transfer. According to the source, the minority whip's lifetime transfers to the GOP campaign arm now exceed $9 million. The leader hopeful has been the most active senator with the NRSC this cycle, second only to NRSC Chairman Steve Daines, R-Mont.

At a recent fundraiser with former president Trump's campaign in Washington, D.C., Thune brought in $2 million, which was half of the night's entire fundraising haul, a source familiar with the matter revealed. 

The source also detailed that the minority whip has so far headlined or is scheduled to headline nearly 200 events this cycle for either Republican candidates or the NRSC. 

Thune has been making more publicized appearances on the road than the other leader candidates, doing a similar battleground blitz during the Senate's August recess. However, Cornyn has been keeping busy in his state of Texas, known for its fundraising potential. 

"Texas has a huge concentration of wealthy donors with conservative values," one national GOP strategist said.

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Cornyn has attended a series of in-state fundraisers alongside the Trump-Vance campaign and has additionally made trips to Ohio and Pennsylvania to raise money for Moreno and McCormick. The Texas Republican has been a longtime fundraiser for his colleagues, ramping up his giving roughly around 2008. 

Scott faces the disadvantage of being currently in-cycle for his own re-election. As Florida endures a hurricane turned tropical storm, the senator is understood to be spending his time focusing on the storm and his constituents' safety. 

Afterward, Scott is expected to spend the bulk of his time campaigning for his re-election bid in-state, with less ability to travel the country than his out-of-cycle counterparts. 

Notably, Thune is the only candidate thus far with public endorsements from colleagues, with the backing of both Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.