WASHINGTON _ Sen. Rob Portman raised $4.5 million in the third fundraising quarter, his campaign said Tuesday, a personal-best haul for the Ohio Republican who has proven to be one of the election cycle's top fundraisers.
Portman's campaign raised $3.5 million, according to a press release, while the senator raised an additional $1 million for the Ohio Republican Party.
The campaign said that to begin October, it had $7.6 million in cash on hand. The $4.5 million was the most Portman had raised during this cycle.
Portman has significantly outraised his Democratic opponent, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, in a race once viewed as a pre-eminent Senate battleground that even Democrats now concede they are unlikely to win.
Through June, Portman had raised $15 million, roughly double Strickland's $7.7 million.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Senate Majority PAC have canceled nearly all of their planned TV ads in Ohio, convinced that Portman will win. Polls show the GOP incumbent leading by 10 or more points.
The Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report/Roll Call recently changed the race rating from Leans Republican to Republican Favored.
The third fundraising quarter includes the months of July, August, and September.
