Colorado gubernatorial candidate Michael Bennet, the state’s senior U.S. senator, raised more than $1.7 million in the year’s second quarter, the Democrat’s campaign said Monday.

Bennet finished the fundraising period — his first in the race — with more than $1.3 million in the bank and logged contributions from more than 6,400 donors, his campaign said.

Bennet faces Attorney General Phil Weiser in a primary for the office held by term-limited Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. More than a dozen Republicans are seeking their party’s nomination for the job.

The total Bennet’s campaign plans to report is the most raised by a candidate for Colorado governor in the second quarter of an off-year, though it trails the more than $1.9 million Weiser raised in the year’s first quarter. Weiser topped $3 million through the second quarter and reported nearly $2.5 million cash on hand on June 30.

In a statement, Bennet said he was grateful for the support.

“This record-breaking fundraising shows the strength of our movement,” Bennet said. “Together, we are forging the coalition it takes to build a Colorado where working people can get ahead and to show the entire country what leadership and hope look like, at a moment when it couldn’t matter more.”

An internal poll released by Bennet’s campaign last month found Bennet had a 31-point lead over Weiser among likely Democratic primary voters.

Elected in 2022 to a third term in the Senate, Bennet announced his gubernatorial run in early April, saying he believes that leading the state can make more of a difference than remaining in Washington. He’s said he intends to remain in the Senate through the election and plans to appoint his own replacement if he wins the governorship, as Colorado law permits.

If that’s what happens, it would mirror Bennet’s own path to the Senate.

The attorney and former Denver Public Schools superintendent was appointed in 2009 by then-Gov. Bill Ritter to finish Ken Salazar’s Senate term after Salazar was named interior secretary by President Barack Obama. Bennet has won reelection three times since, each time by a larger margin.

Republicans in the running for governor include former U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez; state Sen. Mark Baisley, R-Woodland Park; state Rep. Scott Bottoms, R-Colorado Springs; Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell; and former congressional candidate Joshua Griffin. In addition, state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, has said she’s considering getting in.

Colorado voters have only elected one Republican governor in the last 50 years.

Campaign finance reports covering the three-month period from April 1 to June 30 are due to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office and Federal Election Commission by midnight Tuesday.