JFEFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon raised $1.7 million during the first few months of this year, helping to build a campaign account of $6.1 million for his re-election bid.

Finance figures reported Monday show Nixon has about the same amount of cash in his campaign account as U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill. The two Democrats will be the top incumbents on Missouri’s ballot this fall.

Nixon’s campaign said his fundraising for the first three months of the year marked his best quarter so far in the 2012 campaign cycle — with more than 1,000 contributions, the majority of which were for $250 or less. Nixon also received $555,000 from the Democratic Governors Association, accounting for almost one-third of his money during the past quarter.

Unlike races for federal offices, Missouri has no limits on the amount of money that individuals, businesses or political groups can contribute to candidates for state offices.

Nixon’s potential Republican opponents didn’t raise nearly as much as the incumbent governor, and reported significantly less in their campaign accounts.

St. Louis businessman Dave Spence raised $593,373 and loaned his campaign $250,000 during the past quarter. That loan was on top of $2 million that Spence gave his campaign last fall to pay for several early rounds of television advertising. He reported more than $1.7 million in his campaign account as of the end of March.

Another Republican gubernatorial candidate — Kansas City attorney Bill Randles — reported raising $35,171 this past quarter, more than half of which came from personal loans. As of the end of March, he had $5,365 in his account, with a debt of $36,406.

In Missouri’s crowded lieutenant governor’s race, Republican incumbent Peter Kinder reported raising $229,499 during the past quarter, with a bank balance of nearly $1.3 million as of the end of March. He got a strong financial challenge from Republican state Sen. Brad Lager, R-Savannah. Lager reported raising $330,745 during the past quarter, with a campaign account balance of $1.1 million as of the end of March.

The Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor trailed well behind the Republicans financially.

Former state Auditor Susan Montee reported raising $108,543 during the past quarter, with $120,226 remaining in her lieutenant governor’s campaign account. Former state Rep. Judy Baker reported raising $101,443 — including $10,000 from a personal loan — with $82,890 in her campaign account. Trailing them in descending financial order were former state Rep. Fred Kratky, state Rep. Sara Lampe and state conservation commissioner Becky Plattner.

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