Merkley hints at best fundraising quarter ever

With eight hours to go before the close of the third fundraising quarter on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley sent an e-mail to his supporters urging them to support him on his way to a record amount of quarterly contributions.

“Because of your support, we are close to having our best fundraising quarter to date,” Merkley wrote.

If true, that would mean that the Merkley campaign brought in upwards of $1.42 million between July 1 and September 30. The $1.42 million was the amount that the Merkley camp brought in during the second quarter, which spanned from April 1 to June 30. At the time, the Merkley campaign said that was their best fundraising quarter ever.

Merkley will need to show some strong numbers in order to compete with his campaign rival, U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith. While the state House speaker outraised the incumbent last quarter -- $1.42 million to $1.35 million -- Smith had a whopping $4.47 million cash-on-hand, while Merkley had $560,000.

Third quarter fundraising ends at midnight Tuesday.