New York junior Senator jumps from #17 to #5 for cash on hand among 2012 U.S. Senate incumbents last quarter

While Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown continues to have far and away the most cash on hand of the two dozen U.S. Senate incumbents running for reelection in 2012, he did not enjoy the largest boost from the end of 2010 through the first quarter of 2011.

According to fundraising data submitted by the candidates to the FEC last month, that title belongs to Democratic New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

Gillibrand, who had only the 17th most cash on hand at the end of 2010 among the two dozen incumbents lodging reelection bids in 2012, is now ranked 5th after netting $2.76 million in the first quarter of 2011 for a total cash on hand tally of $3.37 million through March.

Senator Brown still leads all of his 2012 colleagues with $8.34 million cash on hand and remains one of the few Democratic targets in next year’s election.

Brown netted another $1.16 million cash on hand in Q1 2011 which was the fifth highest amount among those Senators who will be on the ballot next year – behind Gillibrand, Tennessee Republican Bob Corker (+ $1.78 million), Florida Democrat Bill Nelson (+ $1.48 million), and New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez (+ $1.39 million).

Nelson trails Brown by $3.77 million in second place for total cash on hand among those incumbents up for election in 2012 with a total of $4.56 million followed by California Democrat Dianne Feinstein ($4.30 million), Menendez ($3.82 million), and Gillibrand ($3.37 million).

The average amount of cash on hand increased nearly $1 million across the two dozen incumbents from the end of December ($1.58 million) to the end of March ($2.52 million).

With the exception of West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin (at #23, $861,125), most of the Senators with the lowest amount of cash on hand are not considered to be in jeopardy next year: Delaware Democrat Tom Carper (#19, $1.32 million), Wyoming Republican John Barrasso (#20, $1.31 million), Vermont independent Bernie Sanders (#21, $1.05 million), Maryland Democrat Ben Cardin ($1.00 million), and Mississippi Republican Roger Wicker (#24, $834,329).

Data for the second quarter of 2011 will be available for all Senators by mid-July.

Cash on Hand for 2012 U.S. Senate Incumbents Through March 2011

State
Senator
Party
03/31/11
Q change
MA
Scott Brown
GOP
$8,341,314
$1,165,069
FL
Bill Nelson
DEM
$4,563,885
$1,480,392
CA
Dianne Feinstein
DEM
$4,309,430
$455,733
NJ
Bob Menendez
DEM
$3,821,475
$1,394,793
NY
Kirsten Gillibrand
DEM
$3,378,578
$2,763,985
MI
Debbie Stabenow
DEM
$3,034,981
$1,001,904
IN
Richard Lugar
GOP
$3,008,605
$657,420
UT
Orrin Hatch
GOP
$2,948,581
$439,399
TN
Bob Corker
GOP
$2,920,921
$1,785,382
OH
Sherrod Brown
DEM
$2,519,439
$999,230
MN
Amy Klobuchar
DFL
$2,507,073
$893,393
NE
Ben Nelson
DEM
$2,323,392
$873,355
PA
Bob Casey
DEM
$2,135,855
$819,920
ME
Olympia Snowe
GOP
$2,050,053
$815,424
MO
Claire McCaskill
DEM
$1,796,316
$891,298
RI
Sheldon Whitehouse
DEM
$1,681,744
$958,745
MT
Jon Tester
DEM
$1,455,721
$893,899
WA
Maria Cantwell
DEM
$1,326,664
$827,400
DE
Tom Carper
DEM
$1,320,324
$521,270
WY
John Barrasso
GOP
$1,311,646
$709,835
VT
Bernie Sanders
IND
$1,054,403
$518,809
MD
Ben Cardin
DEM
$1,000,894
$615,509
WV
Joe Manchin
DEM
$861,125
$483,819
MS
Roger Wicker
GOP
$834,329
$431,558
Average
$2,521,115
$933,231

Far right column denotes the net change in cash on hand from the end of Q4 2010 to the end of Q1 2011. Table excludes newly appointed Nevada Republican Senator Dean Heller. Table compiled from FEC data.

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