Toomey for Senate

Posted: July 13th, 2010 05:06 PM ET
From CNN's Charles Riley

(CNN) – Former Rep. Pat Toomey raised $3.1 million toward his Pennsylvania Senate bid in the 2nd quarter of 2010, his campaign said Tuesday.

That represents the Republican's biggest haul to date, and a significant increase from the $2.3 million reported by his campaign in the 1st quarter.

Toomey's Democratic opponent, Rep. Joe Sestak, brought in $2 million over the same period, and has a little over $2 million cash on hand, Sestak campaign spokesman Jonathon Dworkin confirmed to CNN.

Sestak and Toomey are vying for the Senate seat currently held by Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter, a former Republican who switched parties last year. Specter was defeated by Sestak in a bitter primary battle that culminated in May.

Despite being outdistanced by Toomey, a Sestak campaign adviser told CNN that the campaign feels good about where they are in the race, and noted that Sestak's fundraising efforts were hamstrung in the 2nd quarter due to the tough primary battle.

Toomey, who did not face a contentious fight for the Republican nomination, has a total of $4.65 million cash on hand.

"I am so appreciative for all the support I have received for my candidacy," Toomey said in a statement. "As I travel across the state, I meet more and more Pennsylvanians who want to join our campaign in order to bring true change and fiscal sanity to Washington."

The most recent non-partisan polling of Pennsylvania voters, conducted in May, indicated that the battle between Sestak and Toomey was deadlocked.