Udall challenger Gardner raises $2.7M

Rep. Cory Gardner raised $2.7 million in the second quarter of the year, his campaign announced Thursday.

{mosads}And he had more than $3.4 million in cash on hand at the end of June for what’s already shaping up to be a contentious fight with Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.).

The large sum comes as no surprise. Gardner raised $1.2 million in the first month of his campaign alone, during the end of the first quarter. 

Udall hasn’t announced his second-quarter totals yet, but he started it with $5.9 million cash in the bank, after raising $2 million in the first quarter.

Udall’s receiving help from big-name Democrats to boost his campaign coffers, but that support could also hurt. He received negative press this week after skipping a fundraiser Obama hosted for him in the state because, his office said, he had to remain in Washington for legislative business.

Republicans saw Udall’s decision to skip the fundraiser as evidence of just how toxic Obama is for Democrats in the swing state. Still, the event likely raised a huge sum for the candidate, though it won’t be included in his second-quarter reports, due to be released next week.