Sen. Max Baucus (D) raised $1.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to his campaign. The Senate Finance chairman has raised $8.9 million this cycle and finished 2007 with $6.3 million in cash on hand — with minimal opposition for his re-election bid so far.

Engineer Kirk Bushman (R) and former state House Majority Leader Michael Lange (R) are running, but they could not be reached Wednesday for their most recent fundraising totals. However, their federal election fundraising records through the end of September showed that Bushman had $5,705 and Lange had $1,400 in cash on hand.

“People are crawling out of the woodwork to support Max because he’s delivering for Montana,” Baucus spokesman Barrett Kaiser said. “There’s a reason Max is the longest-serving U.S. Senator in Montana’s history: He works together to be effective and get things done.”
— Shira Toeplitz