Sen. Bennet rakes in $1.2 million in second quarter campaign funds

Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet’s campaign announced today that it drew $1.2 million in donations during the second quarter of this year, bringing the campaign’s total to roughly $2.65 million. According to the papers the campaign filed with the Federal Election Commission, individual donations equaled nearly $1 million.

The government requires Q2 paperwork to be filed no later than today. Fundraising reports have been trickling out this week and, unsurprisingly, early reports have relayed news of impressive hauls– campaign fundraising figures working as early stand-ins for poll numbers, for better or for worse.

Fourth District Democratic U.S. Rep. Betsy Markey reported raising $260,000, which puts her total at $640,000. Democratic U.S. Rep Ed Perlmutter raised $260,420 for a rough total of $816,000.

State GOP Rep. Cory Gardner, who is challenging Markey, also put up impressive numbers, firing up the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Joanna Burgos, the NRCC’s western regional press person, sent out a celebratory release on the news of Gardner’s take:

It took Congresswoman Betsy Markey THREE months to raise over $200,000… State Rep. Cory Gardner raised over $200,000 in LESS THAN TWO months.

Burgos made no mention of the fundraising efforts of the other two GOP Markey challengers, Diggs Brown and Tom Lucero. Brown reportedly raised $23,000 in Q2. Lucero has yet to report.

Fort Collins Coloradoan editor Bob Moore blogged earlier in the week that Markey is benefiting from the fundraising committee established by freshman Colorado Democrat Jared Polis:

The Boulder congressman, ensconced in a safely Democratic district, established the Jared Polis Victory Fund in May to benefit 29 Democrats in competitive districts such as Markey, Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona and Jim Himes of Connecticut. Colorado’s appointed senator, Michael Bennet, also will benefit.

Polis is soliciting contributions through ActBlue, an online Democratic fundraising tool, for his joint fundraising committee. He’d raised $39,400 through that channel as of Sunday, with 2.93 percent of the first $40,000 he raises on ActBlue set to go to Markey and each of the other incumbents.

The Colorado Independent reported on the Polis Victory Fund in May. According to the distribution formula, Markey would get approximately $1,000 $1,200 from the fund based on fundraising through this past weekend and Bennet would receive about the same amount. Polis’ campaign receives roughly four times the amount distributed to the other individual congressional candidates.

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