Wow. That was fast.

The email from Tom Barrett went out at 10:05 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8, about an hour after he was declared the winner of the Democratic primary in the recall election for governor. The email said a number of things but asked for only one: cash.

“Can I count on you to make a $12 donation right now so we can defeat Scott Walker on June 5?” Barrett asks, linking to an online contribution page.

The significance of the $12 amount is not explained, and email queries to the campaign yielded no response. It’s likely Barrett would accept any legal donation; he’s since made appeals seeking other sums. In the time that remains before the June 5 election, he has some catching up to do.

Between March 20 of this year, just before launching his campaign, and May 7, the eve of the primary, Barrett raised $1.1 million, including reported late contributions, state Government Accountability Board records show. About $60,000 came from political action committees, particularly the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Wisconsin Professional Police Association. The rest — a cool $1 million — was from individuals.