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 done battleground states successful the lead-up to the election, helping boost Republicans successful their quest to take the Senate majority arsenic helium simultaneously vies to beryllium their adjacent leader. 

The Senate is successful recess for the period of October and won't beryllium backmost until aft the election, but Thune doesn't look to beryllium slowing down successful the meantime. This weekend, the number whip volition beryllium successful Nevada for events with Senate campaigner Sam Brown, who is taking connected susceptible Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., a root shared with Fox News Digital. 

Afterward, he's heading to New York City to rise wealth for Brown, Arizona Senate campaigner Kari Lake, Ohio Senate campaigner Bernie Moreno, Pennsylvania Senate campaigner Dave McCormick, and Michigan Senate campaigner erstwhile Rep. Mike Rogers, arsenic good arsenic the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

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Thune had a akin question docket successful August. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Later successful the month, the root told Fox News Digital that Thune would beryllium joining McCormick successful Pennsylvania, Senate campaigner Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., successful Indiana and Senate campaigner Tim Sheehy successful Montana. 

He besides has an array of events lined up with respective senators who aren't up for re-election arsenic helium looks to fastener down much enactment successful the GOP conference. 

"It's an insider's game," said Ron Bonjean, a erstwhile main of unit of the Senate Republican Conference told Fox News Digital of the person race. 

"John Thune is playing the wrong crippled portion showing enthusiasm—showing nationalist enthusiasm by going to the states."

"They're going to retrieve that Thune was determination implicit the past fewer weeks earlier the election," said Bonjean, who was a spokesperson for Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott erstwhile helium was bulk leader.

"Money is important, but showing up matters. And if you tin bash both, that truly tin bash wonders . . . for racking up Senate votes."

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Sheehy is favored to unseat incumbent Sen. Tester.  (Getty Images)

Thune is 1 of 3 announced person candidates, alongside Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rick Scott, R-Fla. 

Cornyn has established himself arsenic a prolific fundraiser during his tenure, a origin that is definite to play into the race, fixed outgoing Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's estimation arsenic a fundraising behemoth. 

A root acquainted with the Texas Republican's governmental cognition told Fox News Digital, "Sen. Cornyn plans to sojourn aggregate battleground states crossed the state to run with candidates implicit the October recess and rise invaluable hard dollars arsenic he’s done for the past 2 decades, totaling much than $400 cardinal since 2002." 

His all-time fundraising is thing he's looked to stress successful caller days, sending his donor web a letter this week highlighting the information and further specifying that helium has brought successful $500,000 for 33 antithetic Republican senators and candidates implicit the years and adjacent raised implicit $1 cardinal each for 4 senators.

This cycle, Cornyn has brought successful $26 cardinal for Republicans, $11.8 cardinal specifically for the NRSC. He notably served arsenic NRSC seat doubly and was lauded for his enactment successful the role. 

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Cornyn has pointed to his beardown fundraising history.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Thune has raised implicit $29 cardinal this cycle, and a root acquainted shared with Fox News Digital that the South Dakota legislator expects to deed $30 cardinal during his October travels. 

Recently, helium announced a record-breaking $4 cardinal transportation to the NRSC to assistance with competitory races. Thune was the erstwhile record-holder, with a anterior $2 cardinal transfer. According to the source, the number whip's beingness transfers to the GOP run limb present transcend $9 million. The person hopeful has been the astir progressive legislator with the NRSC this cycle, 2nd lone to NRSC Chairman Steve Daines, R-Mont.

At a caller fundraiser with erstwhile president Trump's run successful Washington, D.C., Thune brought successful $2 million, which was fractional of the night's full fundraising haul, a root acquainted with the substance revealed. 

The root besides elaborate that the number whip has truthful acold headlined oregon is scheduled to header astir 200 events this rhythm for either Republican candidates and the NRSC. 

Thune has been connected the roadworthy the astir retired of the person candidates up of the election, doing a similar battleground blitz during the Senate's August recess. However, Cornyn has been keeping engaged successful his authorities of Texas, known for its fundraising potential. 

"Texas has a immense attraction of affluent donors with blimpish values," 1 nationalist GOP strategist said.

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Cornyn, Thune and Scott person announced their bids for leader.  (Getty Images)

Cornyn has attended a bid of in-state fundraisers alongside the Trump-Vance run and has additionally made trips to Ohio and Pennsylvania to rise wealth for Moreno and McCormick. The Texas Republican has been a longtime fundraiser for his colleagues, ramping up his giving astir astir 2008. 

Scott faces the disadvantage of being presently in-cycle for his ain re-election. As Florida endures a hurricane turned tropical storm, the legislator is understood to beryllium spending his clip focusing connected the tempest and his constituents' safety. 

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Afterward, Scott is expected to walk the bulk of his clip campaigning for his re-election bid in-state, with little quality to question the state than his out-of-cycle counterparts. 

Notably, Thune is the lone campaigner frankincense acold with nationalist endorsements from colleagues, with the backing of some Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.