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WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders again led Vermont’s congressional delegation in fundraising in the final quarter of the 2017.

Sanders, I-Vt., who is up for re-election in November, concluded 2017 with $6.2 million cash on hand, according to a year-end report filed with the Federal Election Commission ahead of a disclosure deadline on Wednesday.

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Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., whose two-year term is also up this year, had almost $2.1 million in cash at the end of the year.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., closed out 2017 with about $1.7 million in cash. Leahy won re-election to his eighth six-year term in the Senate in 2016.

Sanders raised just shy of $700,000 in the fourth quarter of 2017, bringing total contributions for the election cycle to $6.5 million.

Sanders’ disclosure shows that most of his campaign contributions still come in the form of small donations, often in amounts less than $100. The strategy was key to funding his 2016 presidential bid.

The overwhelming majority of contributions — $686,701 — were from individuals, rather than political action committees, which contributed $8,500

Sanders has not publicly announced whether he plans to seek a seat in the Senate again.

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“Bernie believes that campaigns go on for far too long and his focus right now is doing his job in the Senate,” Sanders senior adviser Jeff Weaver said in a statement Thursday. “He will announce his political plans to the people of Vermont later this year.”

Sanders said last year that if he were to run for Senate in 2018 it would be as an independent again, not under the banner of the Democrats, as he did for his presidential run.

Welch, who also has not yet announced his plans for seeking re-election in November, reported bringing in $96,086 in contributions in the last three months of 2017, bringing his total for the year to $304,831.

“Congressman Welch has not formally announced his plans for re-election but is eager to engage Vermonters on the campaign trail,” a campaign spokesperson said Thursday.

The bulk of contributions Welch reported in the final quarter of the year were from political action committees, for a total of $89,000.

Committees donating $4,000 or more in the final quarter included groups representing the American Council of Engineering Companies, the National Automobile Dealers Association, and the FAA Managers Association.

An additional $7,086 in contributions came from individuals.

Leahy’s campaign committee reported bringing in $24,310 in contributions in the final quarter of the year, bringing his yearly total to $156,980.

Leahy received $15,811 in contributions from individuals, and an additional $8,500 from political committees.

His operating expenditures for the year were $496,325.

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