The last set of campaign finance filings before Election Day on Nov. 4 shows incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich with a cash advantage over his Republican challenger, Dan Sullivan.
After raising $510,000 in the first two weeks of October, Begich had $720,000 left in the bank on Oct. 15, according to his campaign's filing with the Federal Election Commission. Sullivan reported raising $500,000 in the same period, and $450,000 left in the bank.
While the numbers leave Begich with an advantage, the vast majority of the spending in the Senate race has come from third-party groups that aren't coordinated with either campaign.
In the first two weeks of October, Begich's campaign received contributions from several high-profile Democrats, including $1,000 each from former U.S. Senate Majority Leader turned lobbyist Tom Daschle, and former Connecticut U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd.
Closer to home, Begich got $1,000 from developer Mark Pfeffer, $1,000 from Anchorage Economic Development Corp. President Bill Popp, and $1,000 from the political action committee of the Bering Sea Crabbers.
Sullivan reported a $500 contribution from former Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski, and $100 from Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Mike Navarre. He also received $2,000 from business mogul Donald Trump, and $5,000 from the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America.
Both campaigns paid for polling, but neither publicly released any of the results.
Sullivan reported catering- and fundraising-related expenses paid to a pair of businesses in Oklahoma, while Begich received an in-kind, fundraising-related contribution from a Kodiak fisherman.
Neither campaign responded to questions Tuesday about their fundraising activities.
Begich's report has been available since his campaign filed it electronically on Oct. 20; it's also posted on Begich's campaign website. Sullivan's campaign didn't file electronically and didn't respond to a request to provide Alaska Dispatch News with its report, which was posted on the FEC's website this week.