Screenshot from Sen. Mike Lee's fundraising website
Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee is warning Republicans they could lose control of the Senate if donors don’t step up to support GOP candidates in four key races. Unfortunately for those candidates, he’s keeping most of the donations for himself.
On Monday, Lee sent out an email with the subject “4 races. 1 donation,” urging contributions for Ken Paxton in Texas, Barry Moore in Alabama, Harriet Hageman in Wyoming and Ralph Norman in South Carolina.
“Our current Senate Majority cannot be taken for granted,” the email reads. “We can’t afford to lose ground in 2026—every seat matters, and the Democrats are already lining up money to take back control.”
The pitch promises a single donation “will be spread out across these FOUR candidates” to help Republicans win in November.
A large “SUPPORT ALL FOUR” button leads to a fundraising page with photos of the four candidates.
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“I know times are tough right now, but if you could spare $5, $10, or even $25 today, your donation will be split among these four candidates who are fighting to WIN THEIR RACES and SECURE OUR SENATE MAJORITY,” the page screams.
“I can’t stress this enough: the future of our country depends on these four Republicans winning their races. These Conservatives need our help.”
Suggested contributions range from $10 to $250.
Below those amounts, a disclaimer notes donations also benefit Friends of Mike Lee, his campaign account, without spelling out how the donations are split.
Clicking a small “details or edit allocation” link reveals the default split gives 96% to Lee and 1% to each of the four. A $100 contribution sends $96 to Lee and $1 to each candidate. A $75 donation sends $72 to Lee and 75 cents to each of the four he says he’s raising money for.
Donors can change the default amounts if they notice the link.
This is not the first time Lee has done this.
During the 2022 Georgia Senate runoff between Democratic Sen. Rafael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker, Lee sent out fundraising emails on Walker’s behalf and kept 50% of the haul for himself.
All four Republicans he names are chasing open seats currently held by the GOP. Hageman is running to replace Sen. Cynthia Lummis, who is retiring. Moore is seeking the seat being vacated by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor. Both are heavily favored in November.
Norman is running for the South Carolina seat held by Sen. Lindsey Graham until his death last month. Darline Graham, the late senator's sister who was appointed to finish his term, in an Aug. 25 special GOP primary runoff.
In Texas, Paxton beat four-term Sen. John Cornyn by 28 points in May and now faces Democrat James Talarico in November. An Emerson College poll released Thursday shows the race is a dead heat.
Paxton reportedly could use the fundraising help. He raised $9 million during the second quarter of this year while Talarico pulled in $30 million, prompting grumbling from Texas Republicans.