Former DFL state Sen. Tarryl Clark, a U.S. House candidate in Minnesota's 8th Congressional District, raised $320,971 in the first three months of the year in her bid to unseat first-term Republican Chip Cravaack.
Clark's campaign reports that she now has $418,266 in the bank. By comparison, Cravaack's campaign had roughly $515,000 in cash through the end of 2011. His campaign has not yet released his fundraising totals for the first quarter.
The other two Democratic 8th District candidates, Duluth City Council member Jeff Anderson and former Congress Rick Nolan, also have not released their fundraising totals for the first quarter. At the end of 2011, Nolan had almost $36,000 in the bank while Anderson had nearly $13,200.
Until Cravaack defeated former Congressman Jim Oberstar in the 2010 election, the seat had been a DFL lock since the 1940s. As part of their effort to recapture control of the U.S. House, leaders of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee -- which supports Democratic House candidates -- have listed Cravaack's seat as a top target since last summer.
Clark moved to 8th District after her failed 2010 attempt to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who represents the 6th District.
