Republican U.S. House candidate Stewart Mills III reported $205,000 in fundraising during the last three months of 2013 in his bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan.
Nolan has yet to make his fourth quarter reports public, but has until Friday to do so. His last report, filed in October, showed that he had raised $130,000 million in the previous three months and had $264,000 banked for his re-election bid.
Mills, an executive in the family-owned Mills Fleet Farm, outraised Nolan during that fundraising quarter and now has $306,000 cash on hand.
Since returning to Congress last year after a three-decade absence, Nolan has expressed disdain for the demands of modern political fundraising. But chasing donations may be necessary if he wants to retain his seat.
In 2012, the contest between Nolan and Republican Chip Cravaack ended up as one of the most expensive House races in the nation, with $16 million in total spending by the candidates and outside interest groups.
With national Republicans targeting Nolan in an effort to reclaim the seat, the Eighth District race could see a similar influx of campaign cash in 2014.
Nolan previously served three terms in the U.S. House, from 1975 to 1981.
