Ohio's Fisher raises less than half his GOP rival

Ohio Senate candidate Lee Fisher (D) continues to trail his Republican rival in fundraising.

Fisher announced Thursday he's raised some $1 million since March 31 and now has "more than" $1 million cash on hand.

Earlier in the day, former Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) announced he raised $2.65 million in the second quarter. That leaves him with $8.8 million cash on hand, according to the campaign.

Portman has been able to stockpile cash after getting a clear path to the nomination. Fisher, however, had to spend more than $2 million to defeat Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in the May Democratic primary.

The Fisher camp tried to put a brave face on the numbers.

"Lee will have the resources he needs to make the choice clear -- between Congressman Portman's 20 years in Washington and Lee's work to create jobs in Ohio," Fisher spokesman John Collins said in a statement.

Democrats were obviously concerned about Fisher's fundraising. Vice President Joe Biden made his second fundraising trip to Ohio for Fisher last week, speaking at a lunch in Cleveland.

The Portman campaign said there is an "apparent enthusiasm gap" between the two sides.