These numbers really are quite astonishing for anyone, let alone someone with no prior political experience.

via The Boston Globe:

Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard Law School professor and consumer advocate whose US Senate candidacy has fired up Democrats across the nation, raised $5.7 million in the last three months of 2011, an unusually large amount for a first-time candidate and a reflection of what many observers say is her potent appeal to party leaders and activists eager to recapture the seat once held by Edward M. Kennedy. Her overall fund-raising for the three final months of 2011 far outpaced Senator Scott Brown’s $3.2-million total for the same period.

...

Tad Devine, an experienced Washington-based Democratic media consultant, said Warren’s fund-raising prowess is startling for a candidate with no background in electoral politics. “That is an extraordinary amount of money to be raised by a first-time candidate,’’ he said.

From the NECN video above:

"I am really just overwhelmed. I mean people really wanna be part of this campaign," said Warren. "They are going to spend tens of millions of dollars against me," said Mass. Republican Senator Scott Brown. Warren's campaign says her average contribution is just $64 dollars from 23,000 people in the Bay State.

...

Brown says the outside money should stay away and accuses Warren of endorsing the outside donors. "She wants the money to come in because obviously she is finding it difficult to stand on any type of record," said Brown. "I have to say, I don't really understand politics, but come on. Karl Rove is coming in as Scott Brown's wingman. They have said they are gonna spend zillions of dollars, evidently the sky is the limit," said Warren.

Zing.

With a competitive amount of money and far greater enthusiasm on her side, Elizabeth Warren looks like she can win against Scott Brown, Wall Street's Favorite Senator™. Brown's disingenuous lying about his own funding by outside groups (another $1 mil plus coming from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce) looks likely to be as much a hindrance to his re-election hopes as it helps.