Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown’s war chest has more than $1 million more in it after Monday’s money bomb fundraiser exploded into some major bucks for the Senate hopeful.
Brown raised more than $1 million from contributors today, according to his campaign Web site, from the 24-hour long “Red Invades Blue” fundraiser. That’s twice as much as its initial $500,000 fundraising goal for the day.
Shortly before 10 p.m. EST, Brown’s campaign hit the million-dollar mark with still two hours left in the fundraising period.
In a video of Brown posted on the site, he said the contributions will help with “a final push for advertising,” to help combat negative ads “which are already starting.”
Throughout the day, as Brown’s campaign Web site kept a running total of the incoming dollars, the campaign upped the fundraising goal twice, first from $500,000 to $750,000 then from $750,000 to $1 million.
Both former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty emailed supporters urging them to send funds to Brown.
Coakley campaign and Democratic Party officials did not respond to requests today for the Democrat candidate’s latest fundraising numbers.
Polls over the weekend have varied, as the Public Policy Polling had Brown up by one point and the Boston Globe has Coakley up by 15 points. Since some polls show Republican candidate Scott Brown closing the gap Democratic candidate Martha Coakley once had, both national parties are scrambling before next week’s special election.
Representatives for both campaigns did not immediately comment on today’s fundraising numbers.
Brown and Coakley, along with independent candidate Joe Kennedy (no relation to Camelot) are running in a special election for the Senate seat long held by the late-Sen. Ted Kennedy. Sen. Paul Kirk, appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick, will serve until a new Senator is elected.
On Monday night the trio sparred in Boston at the final debate of the campaign, sponsored by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate and moderated by David Gergen. The special election is Jan. 19, a week from Tuesday.