JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Republican Josh Hawley raised a little more than a third of what Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill did during the first quarter of this year, and the incumbent Democrat ended March with five times as much cash on hand, finance reports show.
Hawley's campaign reported Thursday that it raised $1.5 million from January through March, while McCaskill's campaign reported last week that it had raised more than $3.9 million during the same period. The senator ended March with $11.5 million in cash on hand, while Hawley reported having $2.1 million.
Hawley, the state's attorney general, chided McCaskill for using a "liberal donor base" to boost her fundraising, saying she's a veteran politician being rewarded by those donors. His campaign also said he's leaning heavily on small donors, with more than 70 percent of his contributions at $200 or less.
But McCaskill spokeswoman Meira Bernstein tweeted Thursday that the numbers show "the MOmentum is behind" the senator.
McCaskill is viewed as among the most vulnerable Democrats facing re-election this year, representing a state that President Donald Trump carried by a wide margin in 2016. Trump headlined a fundraiser for Hawley in March.
"Senator McCaskill represents D.C., Hollywood and the Wall Street elite who fund her campaign -- not Missouri," Hawley said in a statement. "We deserve a Senator who will protect our way of life and fight to ensure our families, farmers, and workers can finally get ahead."
Hawley's campaign described him as the nation's top GOP Senate challenger, and his fundraising totals for the year's first quarter outpaced the fundraising during the first quarter of 2014 and 2016 for nine Republican challengers who won their seats.
But Randy Hagerty, chairman of the political science department at Truman State University, said conditions are far different this year. Core Democratic voters are enthusiastic, hoping to capitalize on a backlash against Trump. Hagerty said it's the best climate for Democrats in a decade, and GOP candidates might need more money.
"There might be a storm coming for Republicans," he said.
Hagerty also said it's not clear what fallout Republicans will face over GOP Gov. Eric Greitens' political and legal problems that initially arose from an extramarital affair with his former hair stylist in 2015. Both Hawley and McCaskill have called on Greitens to resign.
Hawley also said Tuesday that an investigation by his office determined that Greitens may have illegally used a donor list from the veterans' charity he founded to raise money for his gubernatorial campaign without the charity's permission. A Democratic prosecutor in St. Louis would decide whether to file charges.