John Fetterman has more campaign money than Mehmet Oz heading toward the end of a tight U.S. Senate race

Democrat John Fetterman had substantially more campaign money left to spend than Republican Mehmet Oz as they entered the final months of a close U.S. Senate race with national consequences.

Fetterman had $4.2 million in his campaign fund as of Sept. 30, while Oz had $2.5 million, according to public disclosures filed Saturday, reflecting how much firepower each campaign has for television ads and other campaigning as they sprint through the final weeks.

The totals came after Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, raised more than $22 million for his campaign in July, August, and September, doubling his own record for a single quarter in a U.S. Senate race in the state. Oz raised about $9 million in that same period and in addition loaned his campaign $7 million from his own pocket.

In all, the celebrity surgeon has put $21 million of his own fortune into the Senate race as of Sept. 30.

Fetterman continues to rely on small donors to drive his campaign. He took in $10.5 million last quarter from people who have given less than $200, more than Oz raised in total.

Oz had previously struggled to raise money and mostly paid for his campaign himself, but the sharp uptick in fund-raising likely reflects the national stakes of the race and the Republican emphasis on holding the seat now occupied by Sen. Pat Toomey. Toomey isn’t seeking reelection.

The contest is one of a handful that could decide control of the Senate and, according to public polling, is close enough to go either way.

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Television advertising, including in expensive markets like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, is crucial in Pennsylvania’s statewide races.

Saturday’s filing provided a detailed look at the most substantial fund-raising Oz has done, since for most of the campaign he has relied mostly on his own money, not a wider net of donors.

Oz only secured the GOP nomination in early June, due to a lengthy recount after the May 17 primary, but that win made him one of the most important Republican candidates in the country. Donations followed.

As his fund-raising picked up overall, it also brought more donations from within Pennsylvania, and he wasn’t as reliant on top-dollar donors as a proportion of his overall total, suggesting that more rank-and-file Republicans got on board. (Oz’s earlier donations leaned heavily on friends and family members writing big checks, often from outside of Pennsylvania. The majority of money he has raised overall still comes from out-of-state and large donors.)

Fetterman has relied mostly on small, in-state donors, though he has attracted increasing amounts of money from outside Pennsylvania — in large and small amounts — as the race has gone on and drawn more national attention. (The full details of Fetterman’s latest small-dollar fund-raising, which accounts for a significant share of his campaign money, won’t be available until later this week).

One sign of that national influence will come Thursday, when President Joe Biden comes to Philadelphia to headline a Fetterman fund-raiser.

Oz also has help from a dedicated super PAC, American Leadership Action, that raised $8.4 million in the last quarter and spent most of that amount, $7.8 million, mostly on ads attacking Fetterman.

As of Sept. 30, the group had about $940,000 left.

The group’s biggest supporters include some of the biggest GOP donors in Pennsylvania. Montgomery County investor Jeff Yass, the state’s richest citizen and a Republican mega donor, gave the group $2 million. So did Walter Buckley Jr., a longtime GOP donor who founded an investment company. Another $1 million came from Stephen Schwarzman, the CEO of the New York investment firm the Blackstone Group.

The group’s donors also include companies tied to the oil and gas industry and several $50,000 donations tied to New Jersey real estate interests.

Super PACs are allowed to collect checks without the usual $5,800 limit for individual donors but are barred from formally coordinating with campaigns. But they pay higher rates for TV ads than candidates, who are entitled by law to the lowest rate possible.

For example, in early September, Fetterman paid $1,200 for an ad that ran in the 4 p.m. hour on WPVI’s Action News, public records show. A GOP super PAC paid $2,000 to run an ad on the same show nine minutes earlier. At later stages of campaigns, when there’s more demand, the disparity grows. Super PACs can pay triple the candidates’ rate, or even more, according to two longtime Pennsylvania operatives.

Fetterman, who has criticized the role of big money in politics, doesn’t have a similar super PAC.

» READ MORE: The Pa. Senate race is tight as Oz closes on Fetterman

In two of Pennsylvania’s key U.S. House races, Democratic candidates have outspent their GOP challengers and have far more to spend for the final weeks. But in a third top-tier race, the money count is closer.

In the Lehigh-Valley-based 7th District, Rep. Susan Wild spent $3.3 million last quarter and had $1.6 million left in her campaign fund as of Sept. 30. Her GOP rival, Lisa Scheller, spent $1.4 million and had $544,000 left to spend.

Rep. Matt Cartwright, fighting to hold onto his 8th District seat in Northeastern Pennsylvania, spent $2.6 million and had $1.3 million left. His Republican rival, Jim Bognet, spent $798,000 and had $691,000 left.

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The picture is different in the 17th district, based in the Pittsburgh suburbs, where the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Conor Lamb, isn’t seeking reelection. The Democrat hoping to replace him, Chris Deluzio, outspent GOP nominee Jeremy Shaffer last quarter $1.25 million to $696,000. But Shaffer has more left for the homestretch: $963,000, compared with Deluzio’s $548,000.

In each case, major national party groups and other outside interests are also pouring money onto the airwaves.

An earlier version of this article contained charts that did not reflect the full extent of Mehmet Oz’s campaign fund-raising. Contributions of $50 or less make up roughly 92% of the donations Oz has received. His fund-raising from donors outside of Pennsylvania has increased, and out-of-state fund-raising continues to comprise the majority of his receipts.

Correction: An earlier version of this article contained charts that did not reflect the full extent of Mehmet Oz’s campaign fund-raising. Contributions of $50 or less make up roughly 92% of the donations Oz has received. His fund-raising from donors outside of Pennsylvania has increased, and out-of-state fund-raising continues to comprise the majority of his receipts.