Congressional candidate Darcy Burner raised more than $1 million in the third quarter of 2008, her campaign announced today, the federal filing deadline for fundraising reports.
Burner $1,192,930 in new money between July and September more than doubles the amount she raised in each of the previous two quarters of 2008. The latest filing brings her total contributions to more than $3 million.
Burner came close to beating her opponent, U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, in the 2006 election. In their rematch, if polling is to be believed, the race is close again. Polling over the past couple of months has shows Reichert with a slight lead, but two new polls this week -- including one done by the Burner campaign, show her ahead slightly.
Throughout, however, Burner has excelled at raising money. She has outpaced Reichert in fundraising quarter after quarter, which is rare for a challenger. Reichert hasn't released his most recent figures yet.
The two campaigns are spending liberally on television ads as the election draws near, and some outside groups are investing in the campaigns, as well. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business have bought time for Reichert, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is running an ad supporting Burner.

UPDATE: Reichert's filing with the Federal Election Commission today shows that, in the same time period, he raised about half as much money: $527,595 in the third quarter.