Justin Murphy raises $35,860 for race vs Cory Booker, has less than $10,000 in bank

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Justin Murphy, whose comments about the war in Iran during last week’s debate with incumbent Cory Booker went viral, raised $35,860 during the third quarter and ended September with just $9,578 in his campaign account.

Murphy raised $75,205 for his entire campaign and reported $8,781 in outstanding debt, leaving little money for the final weeks of his challenge to the two-term Democratic senator and likely presidential candidate.

“I think my Almighty Creator God has made all currency on this planet allergic to me because it avoids me at everything I do in my life,” Murphy said at the debate.  “We’re not going to outfundraise Corey Booker. We’re not going to do. We can outwork him, but we’re not going to outfundraise him.”

Booker has not yet filed his third-quarter fundraising report, but had $23 million in the bank as of June 30, giving him an enormous financial advantage over his Republican opponent.

Murphy attracted national attention during last week’s debate when he urged President Donald Trump to take a more aggressive approach to the war in Iran, telling him to put on his cowboy hat and “go kick some ass.”

The exchange quickly spread across social media, where clips of Murphy’s remarks have attracted millions of views. The footage was also broadcast on Fox News and highlighted by other conservative news outlets, giving the Republican candidate exposure far beyond New Jersey.

But the national attention has not translated into a substantial campaign treasury, at least through the September 30 reporting deadline.

Murphy’s third-quarter receipts account for nearly half of the money he has raised during the entire election cycle, including his unexpected victory in a four-way race for the Republican nomination earlier this year.

His latest financial disclosure underscores the considerable disparity between the two campaigns as they enter the final stretch before the November 3 election.