Tony Cook

IndyStar

Democrat John Gregg raised more campaign cash than Gov. Mike Pence during the first quarter of the year.

Gregg raised nearly $1.9 million to Pence's $1.5 million, according to the campaigns, which had to file campaign finance reports by noon today.

The governor, bolstered by a single $500,000 contribution from the Republican Governors Association on the last day of the reporting period, still has more money in his campaign coffers than Gregg. Pence has nearly $7.7 million on hand, compared to $5.1 million for Gregg.

Gregg's ability to raise more than a sitting governor in the first quarter is unusual given the inherent fundraising advantages of incumbents. But he has found strong financial support from labor unions and gay rights activists who are unhappy with Pence administration's policies.

Gregg has three times as much campaign money on hand as he did in 2012, when he narrowly lost the election to Pence by 3 percentage points. But overall, Pence has raised about $12 million for his re-election bid — more than double the $5.6 million Gregg has raised.

"With nearly $12 million raised for the cycle and over $7.6 million cash on hand, we are confident we will have the necessary resources to execute our campaign and are grateful for the continued investment by Hoosier individuals and job creators," said Marty Obst, executive director of Pence's campaign.

Tim Henderson, Gregg's campaign manager, called the former Indiana House of Representative speaker's fundraising total strong, "especially for a challenger."

“While we will never have more money than Republicans in this state, we don’t need it to win," he said. "We just need to stay close and that’s what we continue to do. It’s a very good sign for us.”

Call IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter: @indystartony.