Grimes pulled in more than twice as many donors as McConnell this quarter. | AP Photos Grimes outraises McConnell

Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes outraised Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in her first quarter as a candidate.

The Kentucky Secretary of State announced Tuesday that she collected $2.5 million and has just under $2 million cash on hand.


McConnell, the five-term incumbent, raised $2.27 million from July through September. But he has aggressively built up a war chest for years and has almost $10 million cash on hand.

Democrats see Kentucky as their top opportunity to play offense in a cycle when they must defend seven seats in states carried by Mitt Romney last year. The national committee and liberal outsider groups would love to oust the leader of the opposition, guaranteeing that the Bluegrass State will be the most expensive election of 2014.

( QUIZ: Do you know Alison Lundergan Grimes?)

Grimes, whose father is friends with Bill Clinton, had a big fundraiser in Hollywood on Sept. 26, organized by entertainment industry power broker Jeffrey Katzenberg. Grimes is also getting help from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

McConnell still must fend off a Republican primary challenge from Matt Bevin, who reported raising $822,021 — including $600,000 from himself.

The Grimes camp touted 13,327 donors, more than twice as many as McConnell, who announced last week that he had nearly 6,000 contributors.

( PHOTOS: Mitch McConnell’s career)

McConnell’s campaign responded to the news by noting its huge cash advantage. It argued that her fundraising was “underwhelming” because she has a similar finance team as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who raised $3.15 million in her first quarter as a candidate.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee also sought to downplay Grimes’ haul, pointing out that New Jersey Senate candidate Cory Booker raised $4.5 million in his first quarter as a candidate.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated how much Warren raised in her first quarter as a candidate.

CORRECTION: Corrected by: Adam Sneed @ 10/15/2013 11:08 AM CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated how much Warren raised in her first quarter as a candidate.