NASHVILLE -- Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bill Haslam said he raised more than $1.7 million from April through June with an estimated $700,000 of it coming during a final fundraising "blitz" during the final two weeks of June.
That pushes the Knoxville mayor's fundraising totals to more than $8.7 million for the Aug. 5 GOP primary in which he faces U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville.
"With this support we'll make sure we take the next step together and build a stronger Tennessee," Mr. Haslam said in a news release. "We have two weeks until early voting and five weeks until the primary, and I'm grateful that so many have helped put us in the strong position we're in."
Early voting begins July 16.
No information on the Haslam's current campaign cash on hand was available. Spokesman Davis Smith said, "We're still counting, so the number isn't defined yet."
The campaign disclosures are not due in to the state until July 12.
None of the rival GOP campaigns nor Democrat Mike McWherter are releasing their figures for now.
Mr. Haslam has dominated fundraising in the campaign, giving him an advantage in television and radio advertising that has helped him make headway with voters, according to internal Haslam campaign polling data previously released to reporters.
In the June 1-3 poll conducted by Ayres, McHenry & Associates for the campaign, Mr. Haslam led the field with 37 percent of the vote compared to 24 percent for Rep. Wamp, a Chattanoogan, and 15 percent for Lt. Gov. Ramsey. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 4 percent.
Ramsey campaign spokeswoman Rachel Taylor said by e-mail that while "it's not breaking news that Mayor Haslam has unlimited resources, the question remains -- is he going to use any of it to take a stance on any of the issues in this race?
"Money or no," she said, "Mayor Haslam lacks substance and Lt. Gov. Ramsey has said it before that he (Haslam) would not be a viable candidate were it not for the size of his wallet, period."
In its news release, the Haslam campaign sought to paint a picture of inevitability to his effort, touting what officials called recent "high profile endorsements" from Reagan economist Dr. Art Laffer, who lives in Nashville, and University of Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl.
The campaign said that, along with a 95-county campaign organization and polling, the fundraising "is yet another indication Haslam has the momentum with early voting beginning soon."