Sen. Tammy Baldwin raises $2.4 million in 3 months for Wisconsin Senate race

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin just turned up the fundraising heat on her Republican rivals.

Baldwin, a Democrat who faces re-election next year, raised $2.4 million from July through September, her campaign said Thursday.

So far this year, she has raised $7.2 million and has $5.3 million cash on hand.

Her campaign said she had 25,695 individual donors during the three-month period with an average contribution of $54.95.

The Baldwin cash horde dwarfs the amounts raised by Republicans Leah Vukmir and Kevin Nicholson, who both entered the race in the third quarter.

Vukmir, a state senator from Brookfield, raised $250,000 in the three weeks after she announced her run.

Nicholson, a Delafield businessman who joined the race in late June, raised $400,000.

Vukmir and Nicholson will not be short on fundraising muscle, though. Both are backed by Super PACs and have support from billionaire contributors.

Diane Hendricks, who chairs Beloit-based ABC Supply, backs Vukmir. 

Richard Uihlein, co-owner and co-founder of Pleasant Prairie-based Uline, has given $3.5 million to a Super PAC that has endorsed Nicholson.