Republican U.S. Rep. John Kline, who represents Minnesota's Second Congressional District, raised $428,000 for his re-election campaign during the second quarter of 2012.
Kline's campaign reports that he now has $1,337,000 banked for his re-election bid. June 30 was the deadline for the campaign finance reporting period that covered the months of April, May and June.
The other candidates on the ballot, Republican David Gerson and DFL candidate Mike Obermueller, have yet to release any fundraising numbers. Gerson will take on Kline in the August primary with the winner advancing to face Obermueller in November.
Kline has served the Second Congressional District since 2003 and chairs the House Education and the Workforce Committee. He won his last election by more than 25 percentage points, but redrawn political maps carved out Republican-leaning portions of his suburban and rural district, adding several areas with more DFL support.
Looking to capitalize on the boundary changes, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has added Obermueller to its "Red to Blue" list for this fall's election -- an indication that party leaders in Washington, D.C., intend to lend support to Obermueller's campaign. The "Red to Blue" program marshals party resources for competitive Democratic campaigns, offering financial, communications and strategic support.
Obermueller is an attorney who served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2009 to 2011. Gerson works for a global engineering company.
