The MAGA millions: Trump-backed candidates including Kari Lake and Bernie Moreno reveal their record-breaking fundraising hauls in swing states crucial in 2024  

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Senate candidates are raking in millions in fundraising for what is expected to be a wildly expensive campaign season as the race for the Senate kicks into high gear.

Candidates had their fundraising deadline for the first three months of the year at midnight and filings show some record fundraising figures in battleground states as well as whopping amounts of cash ready to be spent.

While much focus in 2024 is on the presidential race, Republicans are looking to flip the Senate come November and they have a pretty favorable map to do so. 

Democrats currently hold a one seat majority in the Senate, but several Democratic Senators are up for reelection in increasingly red states and ones that voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in 2020 including Montana and Ohio.

The filings show Democrats have been vastly outraising their Republican challengers while some of those GOP candidates are putting millions of their own money into their bids.

But while major fundraising hauls can help candidates prepare for November, hiring staff and buy adverting, it is not a clear indicator of who will win. 

Candidates have beat opponents by double digits in fundraising only to suffer epic losses in the past.

However, the fundraising can also give a sense of who has momentum and what raises people are prioritizing in an election year.

Here are some of the biggest cash hauls in the largest Senate battlegrounds for the first quarter of 2024:

Arizona 

Democrat Ruben Gallego is in a tough Senate races against Republican Kari Lake for the open seat in Arizona

Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego is set to face Republican Kari Lake for the open Arizona Senate seat after Senator Kyrsten Sinema  said she would not seek reelection after just one term.

 Lake, a close ally of Trump who recently held a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, raised $4.1 million in the first three months of the year. 

99 percent of the donations were under $200, according to her campaign. Her campaign ended March with $2.5 million cash on hand.   

Gallego raised $7.5 million and had more than $9.6 million cash on hand.

Arizona is one of the biggest battlegrounds of 2024 for both the Senate and the presidential election.

The most recent The Hill/Emerson poll showed Gallego with a two point lead in the race. 

Montana

Democratic Senator Jon Tester will likely face Republican Tim Sheehy in November. The primary is June 4

 In Montana, a state Trump won in 2020 by more than 16 points, Democratic Senator Jon Tester is likely to face off against Republican Tim Sheehy in November. 

On Monday, Tester's campaign revealed he raised more than $8 million in the first three months o f the year, the most ever raised in the first quarter in a Montana Senate election.

96 percent of the donations to Tester were for less than $100 and  the average donation was less than $50 his campaign said. 

 His GOP challenger Tim Sheehy brought in $3 million including $500,000 loaned by the candidate. He finished March with $1.9 million in his campaign war chest.

Ohio 

Republican Bernie Moreno won a tough GOP primary and will take on Senator Sherrod Brown in what will be one of the toughest Senate races in November

In one of the toughest races in the country, Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown will face Republican Bernie Moreno in November in an increasingly red state.

Republicans see Ohio as a potential path to retaking the Senate.

In the first three months of the year, Brown raised a record $12 million signaling just how tough a fight the race will be. He ended March with more than $15.9 million cash on hand.

Meanwhile, Republican Bernie Moreno faced a tough three-way primary last month. The Trump-backed businessman raised $3.8 million including the $1.5 million he loaned his campaign. He finished March with $2 million in campaign cash.

The Real Clear Politics polling average shows Brown with a five point lead on Moreno. 

During the primary, Democrats promoted Moreno as a candidate viewing him as an easier candidate to beat this fall, but the race is expected to be a bruising race until Election Day. 

Pennsylvania 

Senator Bob Casey is likely to face Republican Dave McCormick in the Pennsylvania Senate race. The primary is on April 23

In Pennsylvania, incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Casey is set to face off against Republican Dave McCormick, who ran and lost the GOP primary in 2022. 

The Real Clear Politics average of polls shows Casey with a more than five point lead in the race. Trump endorsed McCormick as rally in Schnecksville, PA on Saturday.

Casey is leading McCormick in fundraising. He raised $5.6 million through April 3 and has more than $6.2 million cash on hand.

McCormick raised $5.3 million in the first three months of the year through April 3 including a loaning his own campaign $970,900. He also has $6.2 million cash on hand. 

Wisconsin 

Democratic Senator Tammy (D) will face Republican Eric Hovde in November

In the battleground state of Wisconsin, incumbent Democrat Tammy Baldwin raised $5.4 million in the first three months of the year. She as more than $10 million cash on hand available to her. 

Her opponent, Trump-backed Eric Hovde raised $9 million in the first quarter of the year, but filings show it includes Hovde loaning his campaign a whopping $8 million. Hovde has $5.3 million cash on hand.

The latest The Hill/Emerson poll from mid-March shows Baldwin with a three point lead in the race. 

Nevada 

Senator Jacky Rosen is expected to face a tough reelection in Nevada. The frontrunner to challenger her is Republican Sam Brown

Republicans in Nevada will choose their Senate nominee in June and whoever wins the primary will face Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen come November in what is expected to be a close race.

Sam Brown, an army veteran, is the current frontrunner in the GOP race and backed by multiple Republicans. Nevada Assemblyman Jim Marchant is also running in the primary.

Rosen raised $5 million and had more than $13 million cash on hand.

Brown raised $2.4 million and had $2.3 million at the end of the quarter available. Marchant raised less than $50,000 and had roughly that available for his campaign.

 The Real Clear Politics average of polls shows Rosen with four point lead over Brown. In a race against Marchant she has a nearly 10 point lead.