West raises $1.75M in fourth quarter

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) pulled in $1.75 million in campaign contributions in the last three months of 2011, his campaign announced Monday, giving him a war chest of more than $2.7 million heading into the new year.

West has raised almost $6 million for his reelection so far, an impressive haul for a House race even in an expensive state like Florida. West places at the top of House incumbents raising money for their reelections, even dwarfing many Senate races.

His $53 average donation also signals a healthy amount of grassroots support for the controversial first-term Republican. But his high burn rate — he spent more than $800,000 during the quarter — suggests West has had to expend substantial resources to pull off his big-dollar hauls.

West's two main Democratic challengers, Patrick Murphy and Lois Frankel, have raised respectable sums, but both have been dwarfed by West. Murphy and Frankel each took in about $300,000 between October and December.

The district in which West will seek reelection is still up in the air due to congressional redistricting in Florida.

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