Rubio ramps up fundraising with $1 million third quarter

Former Florida state House Speaker Marco Rubio may be getting some traction in his Senate primary with Gov. Charlie Crist (R).

In an e-mail to supporters Tuesday, Rubio reported that he raised nearly $1 million in the third quarter — a marked improvement over a disappointing $350,000 raised in the second quarter.

He will still get trounced in the fundraising race (Crist raised well more than $4 million in the second quarter), but Rubio's total is a good sign for his campaign. It looks as though he cashed in on some publicity from his appearance on the cover of the National Review.

From Rubio's e-mail:

Today, I want to thank you for the support you’ve given my campaign for U.S. Senate. Because of your generosity, we raised almost $1 million during the third quarter that concluded last week.

This is a strong statement about the direction you believe our Republican Party, our state and our nation should take. It is also an encouraging reminder about how piece by piece, supporter by supporter and idea by idea, we are building a movement that will only continue growing and gaining momentum as we move forward.

We know the road ahead is not an easy one as our opponents feel the pressure and inevitably step up their efforts against me. This is why, as I continue working to secure the resources to communicate my message, I need your support today to help us get the fourth quarter off to a strong and robust start.