Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) has raised more than his likely Democratic challenger, comedian Al Franken (D), for the first time in four fundraising quarters, according to recently released totals from the respective campaigns.

Coleman’s campaign announced that the first-term Senator raised $2.6 million from April 1 to June 30 and had $7.2 million in cash on hand. Franken’s campaign announced that it raised $2.3 million in the second quarter and had $4.2 million in cash on hand.

The Gopher State Senate race is expected to be one of the most competitive and expensive in the country — and that’s without former Gov. Jesse Ventura (I). Ventura said he will decide on a Senate bid by the July 15 filing deadline.

Both Franken and Coleman have endured a rough few months in the race. Franken saw months of bad headlines after it was revealed that he improperly paid taxes in 17 states and that he had written a graphic sexual column for Playboy.

More recently, Coleman’s living situation in Washington, D.C., has come under scrutiny because he rents a below-market-value apartment from a political operative who has profited from Coleman’s campaigns.

Recent publicly released polls have shown Coleman with a single-digit lead over Franken.