In an email to supporters Tuesday, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet announced that he had exceeded his single-quarter fundraising record by raising $1.4 million from January through March of 2010. According to the campaign, Bennet received donations from nearly 12,000 new donors during the quarter.
Bennet, a Democrat who was appointed to replace current Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in 2008, established himself as a fundraising juggernaut early on. His campaign had raised $4,824,748 through the end of 2010, by far the most of any Colorado Senate candidate.
Bennet's closest rivals, Republican Jane Norton and Democratic challenger Andrew Romanoff, raised $1,060,384 and $629,908 respectively through 2010, although both challengers had only been raising money since September.
Norton recently reported a first quarter fundraising haul of $816,000, also her best single-quarter total to date.
Bennet's impressive first quarter haul puts pressure on his Democratic primary challenger Andrew Romanoff, who has yet to release his first-quarter total. Romanoff, who has decided not to take money from Political Action Committee's (PAC's), has been winning most party caucuses, and is the favorite to get top-line at the state assemblies in May, will likely need to raise more money to reach a broader audience for the August primaries.
Bennet's numbers were augmented by a fundraiser held in February by President Obama.