Candidates like Rand Paul, Mark Kirk, David Vitter are grabbing headlines and raising eyebrows for self-made controversies that have sometimes plagued -- and sometimes boosted -- their candidacies. What else separates the three candidates from the rest of the 2010 pack?
So far, they're all outraising their opponents.
Controversy-plagued U.S. Senate candidates from Nevada to Kentucky are experiencing significant fundraising success, according to campaign finance disclosures for the second quarter of this year.
Just days after claiming victory in Kentucky's GOP primary, Paul found himself under fire for comments he made about the Civil Rights Act. But despite those remarks and subsequent gaffes, the Tea Party-backed candidate managed outraise his Democratic opponent with a $1.1 million haul in the second quarter.
In Illinois, Kirk took in $2.3 million -- more than double the total raised by his Democratic rival Alexi Giannoulias. Kirk enjoyed fundraising success even though he spent the better part of the last few months explaining why he embellished his military service record.
As for Vitter, who is seeking a second term as a U.S. Senator from Louisiana, not even a prostitution scandal and subsequent controversies involving a top aide, could stop him from raising $1 million on top of the hefty sum he already had in the bank. That's more than double what Democratic Senate contender and Louisiana Congressman Charlie Melancon raised.
The fundraising prowess of some of the most controversial candidates on the midterm election circuit is just one of the many surprises the Huffington Post unearthed in the latest campaign finance filings. Here are the top 10 things you may not have guessed about the candidates and their campaign war chests: