Ohio US Senate race raises $1M a month

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Donors are giving an average of $1 million a month to Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and his main Republican challenger, state Treasurer Josh Mandel.

Multiple news outlets report that new campaign finance reports filed Tuesday show that the two raised a total of about $3 million during the last quarter of 2011. Democrat Brown gathered almost $1.6 million in campaign money while Mandel collected more than $1.4 million.

As he seeks a second term, incumbent Brown finished the quarter with just over $5 million on hand. The GOP hopeful had about $4.1 million in the bank.

Before he can face off against Brown, Mandel must beat five other Republicans in a March 6 primary.