Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) raised an impressive $2.4 million in the first fundraising quarter of 2012, leaving him with nearly $6.3 million in the bank.
The campaign said it received nearly 30,000 donations from more than 24,000 people. The average size of a donation was $66.
“The strong support Sherrod received from Ohioans this quarter will help us continue building grassroots momentum for Sherrod as we discuss his work to save the Ohio auto industry and its 850,000 jobs, fight Chinese currency manipulation, and protect Social Security and Medicare for seniors,” said Sadie Weiner, spokeswoman for Friends of Sherrod Brown.
As The Huffington Post recently reported, conservative groups have poured $5.1 million into negative ads to defeat Brown in this year's election. The top spenders are the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which spent $2.7 million, and 60 Plus Association, a conservative group that opposes health care reform, which spent another $1.4 million. Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS and Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee have also spent heavily in the race.
The only progressive group that has jumped in is the League of Conservation Voters, which spent in the high-six figures. Brown's race has the largest gap between conservative and progressive spending.
Brown's GOP opponent, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, has not yet released his fundraising for the first three months of the year. But as of mid-February, Mandel had raised more than $5.8 million, with $4.3 million in the bank.