Updated 4:20 p.m. July 17: Revised to include more details about the candidates' top donors, and with information about fundraising by Libertarian candidate Kerry McKennon.

AUSTIN — Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick raised nearly $4.5 million since late February and has nearly $14 million in the bank to fund the remainder of his re-election campaign this year.

The fundraising numbers are high even for Patrick, a socially conservative Republican who trounced his GOP opponent in the primary. His campaign boasted Patrick has raised $45 million since first announcing his was running for the post in 2013, "more than any other Lt. Governor in Texas history in two election cycles."

The cash will give Patrick a critical financial edge over his Democratic challenger, Mike Collier, heading into the November general election. An accountant who previously made an unsuccessful bid for state comptroller, Collier raised $265,000 in the same period, his campaign told The Dallas Morning News on Monday.

This marks a tenfold increase over the Democrat's fundraising efforts from the last cycle —when Collier was also weighed down by more than $500,000 in loans — but still leave him far behind Patrick when it comes to cold, hard cash. Collier's campaign said he had $60,000 in cash on hand as of June 30, but he also has $582,000 in outstanding loans while Patrick has $265,000 in IOUs to pay off.

Collier downplayed the monetary gap Monday, noting his fundraising numbers increased after recent two polls put him within single digits of the incumbent.

"More than 3,000 Texans have contributed to my campaign, donating an average of $63," Collier said. "In contrast, Dan Patrick relies on ultra-rich and special interest money, his fake pickup truck TV ads can't save him, and he is avoiding contact with voters and the press.

"I have no doubt I can raise the money to compete and win in November."

1 / 2Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick addressed the crowd during the 2018 Texas GOP Convention held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio on June 15.(Louis DeLuca / Staff Photographer) 2 / 2Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor Mike Collier spoke at a town hall meeting hosted by the Funky East Dallas Democrats at 2018 Kidwell Street on July 2. (Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer)

Collier's top donor was Austin Ligon, the co-founder of CarMax.com, who gave him $25,000. He received $10,000 each from Joseph Phillips of McAllen and Edward Allen of Houston.

Patrick's single highest donation came from Don McGill, a Toyota dealership owner in Houston, who gave him $200,000. He also received $150,000 each from the Gulf States Toyota political action campaign and Robert Rowling, the CEO of the holdings company for Omni Hotels and Gold's Gym.

His campaign says these donations show business still supports Patrick in this role — despite corporate criticism of some of his proposed policies, like the so-called bathroom bill.

"People know Dan is a principled conservative leader who does the right thing and doesn't back down," Patrick's chief strategist Allen Blakemore said last week. "They like him, they trust him, and they want to see him re-elected."

Patrick was first elected in 2014. Before serving as lieutenant governor, a position with significant sway over policy priorities as the leader of the Texas Senate, Patrick was a conservative talk radio personality. He also represented Houston in the Senate, where he championed efforts to outlaw abortion and chaired the education committee.

Kerry McKennon, a Libertarian, is also running. He reported raising $94,000, but more than $91,000 of that were in-kind donations of Internet service or transportation, or the value of the hours his campaign staffers worked for free. He raised $2,744 in actual monetary donations.

The election is Nov. 6.