Incumbent Republican has $2.8 million available for 2006 race.
Sen. Rick Santorum raked in nearly $2 million in campaign contributions during the first three months of
the year, giving himself a large financial head start over Democrat Bob Casey Jr.
Santorum's haul, combined with money raised earlier, gave him $2.8 million in cash on hand as of March 30.
Casey, who entered the race in early March, raised $90,000 and had just $73,500 in the bank after expenses,
according to his financial report.
In a statement, the Casey campaign said it spent its first month assembling a team to attract the resources
needed to win.
Democrats have made Santorum, a conservative firebrand ..., their top target in 2006. They recruited Casey,
Pennsylvania's state treasurer and son of a former governor, and persuaded former treasurer Barbara Hafer to pass on the race.
Santorum, seeking his third term, recently issued a fund-raising appeal saying he wanted to raise $20 million
to defend his seat...
Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-13th District, continued to raise money at a strong pace as well.
Schwartz, who raised a whopping $4.6 million to win her first term in November, brought in $408,000 in the
first three months of 2005. But she also spent $136,000 — including a $12,500 contribution to the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee — to finish with $295,000.
The 13th District covers parts of Montgomery County and northeast Philadelphia...
