Franken keeps fund raising pace with Coleman
Officials with DFL Senate candidate Al Franken's campaign said they have collected more than $9.2 million, including the more than $2.1 million they raised during the first three months of this year.
They say their money has come from nearly 100,000 people, about one in every five from Minnesota.
While the Franken campaign has raised a lot of money, it has spent a lot as well. It ended the first quarter with about $3.5 million cash on hand.
Incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's reelection campaign also raised a little more than $2 million during the first quarter. But Coleman's campaign ended the period with nearly $7 million dollars -- about twice as much money as Franken had at the end of March.
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The Coleman campaign also said it has received campaign money from more than 23,000 Minnesotans.
Franken spokesman, Andy Barr, said he is not worried that Coleman has so much more money.
"What we've always said is you know we don't need to have as much money as him we just have to have enough money to get our message out and we're extremely confident that we will," Barr said. "Three-and-a-half million dollars, seven months out with again that 95,000 person donor base ready and willing to help us re-supply is a fantastic place to be."
Democrat Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, who's battling Franken for the DFL endorsement to run against Coleman, raised about $265,000 in the first quarter, enough to push him past his goal of raising a least a $500,000 for his endorsement campaign.
