Democratic U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick collected more than $100,000 in the last reporting period, topping the combined total raised by his two potential Republican rivals and stretching his significant lead in cash available for the general election in November, the AP reports. From April 1 to May 5, the first-term congressman raised more than $117,000 and reports more than $935,000 in cash on hand. During the same period, Republican candidate Vaughn Ward brought in more than $55,000, mostly from individual donors, giving him $125,700 cash on hand. Ward's challenger in the May 25 primary, state Rep. Raul Labrador, collected $14,800 in donations and reported $35,900 in available cash. Click below to read the full story from the Associated Press.

FEC: Minnick rakes in cash ahead of May 25 primary

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick collected more than $100,000 in the last reporting period, topping the combined total raised by his two potential Republican rivals and stretching his significant lead in cash available for the general election in November.

From April 1 to May 5, the first-term congressman raised more than $117,000 and reports more than $935,000 in cash on hand.

During the same period, Republican candidate Vaughn Ward brought in more than $55,000, mostly from individual donors, giving him $125,700 cash on hand. Ward's challenger in the May 25 primary, state Rep. Raul Labrador, collected $14,800 in donations and reported $35,900 in available cash.

Federal election rules require candidates to file financial reports for the five-week period. The deadline for those reports was Thursday. They are the last major campaign finance reports filed before the primary and give the most accurate snapshot of how the candidates are raising and spending money heading into the final push before a primary.

Minnick, who does not face a primary challenge, has continued to raise money in big chunks over the last week, according to a series of separate reports.

In the last seven days, Minnick has reported at least $17,500 in campaign donations of $1,000 or more. Under federal election law, candidates must report any contributions exceeding that amount or more within 48 hours inside the last 20 days of an election.

So far, neither Ward nor Labrador has reported any similar large contributions.

Last month, Ward's campaign reported having nearly $290,000 cash on hand for the period between Jan. 1 and April 1. But his campaign checkbook has been spent down in recent weeks in large part to pay for a second television ad now being broadcast in Idaho's 1st Congressional District's television markets, including Boise, Lewiston and Coeur d'Alene.

During the April-May reporting period, Ward spent more than $221,000, compared to $70,000 for Minnick. Labrador spent more than $62,000 during the five-week span, but $30,000 of that was used to repay himself part of the $50,000 he loaned his campaign.

Labrador told The Associated Press Thursday he isn't certain if he'll spend his remaining personal loan before the primary or pay it back to himself but said the campaign is scheduled to launch radio ads Friday.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

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