Sen. Bennett's GOP opponents banking money

Utah attorney Mike Lee (R) raised $115,000 and self-funded $20,000 in the first quarter for his primary campaign against Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah), his campaign told The Hill on Wednesday.

Lee, who got in the race at the start of the first quarter and is seen by insiders as an attractive alternative to Bennett, had $85,000 in the bank at the end of March.

Lee is one of several Republicans hoping to unseat Bennett at the state GOP convention on May 8. If Bennett survives the convention with at least 40 percent of the vote, he and another candidate will go to a June primary.

Another Republican running against Bennett, former congressional candidate Tim Bridgewater, raised $20,000 in the first quarter. But thanks to an additional $30,000 loan (he has now self-funded $300,000 total), he had $258,000 in the bank.

Bennett, activist Cherilyn Eagar and former Rep. Merrill Cook (R-Utah) have yet to announce their totals.