U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, whose provocative rhetoric has proven to be fundraising fodder for both right and left, reports that her reelection campaign ended 2009 with more than $1 million in the bank.

Her campaign released numbers Friday morning showing she raised $591,600 in the last three months of the year, a period that included her highly-publicized rally on the Capitol steps against the Democrats' health care bill. That brings the Minnesota Republican's total fundraising in the 2009-2010 election cycle to $1,552,864. State Sen. Terryl Clark, one of the two Democrats vying to challenge Bachmann, has raised more than $600,000, nearly half of which came in the last three months of 2009. Physician Maureen Reed, who is also seeking the DFL nomination, said she raised $574,000 in 2009, including $208,000 in the last quarter. Bachmann, running for a third term, clearly has a commanding lead in the money chase, though Democrats appeared to be getting closer in the last few months, if Clark and Reed's numbers are added together. Given Bachmann's profile, the race is expected to get national attention and a flood of money from outside the state, much as in Bachmann's last race. While itemized contribution lists are not yet available, Bachmann said that almost 9,000 of her individual contributors are from Minnesota. Said her spokesman, Dave Dziok: "The numbers speak for themselves, and the campaign couldn't be stronger."