Allen West Raises $1.9 Million In Third Quarter After Debbie Wasserman Schultz Comments

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) announced Wednesday that he had raised $1.9 million in the third quarter of 2011 -- a formidable amount for a congressional candidate. The campaign said he netted over 42,100 individual contributions, with an average donation of $47. He has raised $4.1 million total for his re-election.

This past quarter, West fundraised off of his comments in July calling Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) "vile, despicable and cowardly" and "not a lady" in an e-mail to Schultz and House leadership leaked to the media. In the fundraising e-mail, he said, "It's times like this that I need friends with me," asking for a donation of $25 or more. West later said that when thinking of the Florida congresswoman, who represents where he lives, that he needs "a bucket."

West defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Ron Klein in 2010 in one of the most expensive races in the country. West raised $6 million to Klein's $4 million. He won by almost 10 points with strong Tea Party support in a district that Barack Obama carried by four points in 2008. The Cook Political Report rates the district as a "toss-up."

West's challengers also raised significant amounts in the third quarter, but not as much as West. Patrick Murphy said he had raised $313,000, bringing his total to $1.1 million. Former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel raised over $415,000, bringing her total to $1.1 million.

NOTE: Lois Frankel's fundraising numbers have been updated with information from her campaign.