Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) announced Monday morning that he raised $1.2 million during the last three months of 2009 and had more than $3.3 million in cash on hand as of Dec. 31 for his Senate bid.

That haul is likely only going to further solidify Meek’s status as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the open-seat race. Former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferré and North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns are two other elected officials seeking the Democratic nomination.

Meek’s fourth-quarter total is up from the $772,000 he raised during the third quarter of 2009. But the Congressman’s quarterly fundraising is still well off the multimillion-dollar pace being set by Gov. Charlie Crist (R). After posting $4.3 million raised in the second quarter, Crist raked in another $2.5 million in the third quarter of 2009.

Despite his fundraising advantage, Crist has found himself in a tough primary with former state Speaker Marco Rubio (R), who is positioning himself to the right of the governor in the primary.

Rubio cracked the $1 million fundraising mark in the third quarter of 2009. Crist and Rubio have yet to release fourth-quarter fundraising numbers.