The campaign announced Monday that it raised more than $4.5M in the last five weeks. | AP, Reuters Walker raises $12M for recall battle

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has raised more than $12 million since the beginning of last year and has $2.6 million cash on hand for his likely 2012 recall election.

Between Jan. 1, 2011 and Jan. 17, 2012, Walker reported he had amassed $12.1 million, according to the latest campaign finance reports. And the campaign announced Monday that it raised more than $4.5 million in just the last five weeks.


“Gov. Walker’s message of moving Wisconsin forward continues to resonate with voters,” Walker campaign spokeswoman Ciara Matthews said in a statement. “It is this message, and the success of the governor’s reforms, that have inspired people to contribute to his campaign in overwhelming numbers.”

“These donations will allow us to fight back against this baseless recall and ensure Governor Walker can continue to lay the foundation for a more successful Wisconsin and keep government working on the side of taxpayers,” Matthews added.

State law permits anyone targeted for a recall to bring in unlimited cash until an election is officially called.

The Wisconsin Democratic party said it raised $1.5 million since July, and the Republican party said it collected about $1 million, The Associated Press reported. And in the last five weeks, the Democratic party reported raising $394,000. The group behind the recall efforts, United Wisconsin, brought in $86,000 in the same period.

On Jan. 17, organizers behind the effort to recall Walker announced they had collected one million signatures, virtually ensuring a recall election will take place later this year. A total of 540,208 valid signatures were needed to force a recall election — organizers gathered thousands more in order to ensure they reached the threshold even if some signatures are disqualified.

The Government Accountability Board is reviewing the signatures, and is set to ask a judge Wednesday to allow at least 60 days to finish the examination.

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