$7.7 million on hand for McConnell

Senator Mitch McConnell's re-election campaign will report $7,741,241 on hand at the end of the first fundraising quarter of 2008, a release announced today. This election cycle, the McConnell campaign has raised $12,199,516, as of the March 31 1Q deadline. The campaign says this figure is a "Kentucky record."

Included in that figure are 1Q receipts totaling $1,315,967 in contributions to the four-term incumbent.

"We held a lot of small fundraisers all over Kentucky in the first three months of this year, and we've been thrilled with the outpouring of support we've received from every corner of the Commonwealth," said campaign manager Justin Brasell. "Senator McConnell will continue to run an aggressive campaign. We are very well organized, and we look forward to seeing who our general election opponent will be after the Democratic primary in May."

Among the seven candidate Democratic primary field, the two most prominent campaigns of fellow Louisville millionaires Bruce Lunsford and Greg Fischer have also released 1Q financial information.

Frontrunner Bruce Lunsford reported $825,000 of contributions in the 1Q, including $545,000 from the candidate himself. Since the March 31 filing deadline, Lunsford has contributed another $470,000, while garnering $900,000 in what the campaign terms "pre-primary pledges."

With that amount of self-financing, Lunsford's campaign triggered the first threshold of the millionaire's amendment

Candidate Greg Fischer announced a $1,010,000 1Q, including $510,000 of Fischer's own money. Fischer narrowly avoided tripping the millionaire's amendment threshold.