Sen. Scott Brown (Mass.), who is among Democrats’ top targets in 2012, raised $1.7 million in the first quarter and will report more than $8.3 million in cash on hand when he files his campaign finance report later in the month.

The updated cash totals for the Republican were reported Tuesday by the Boston Globe, which attributed the figures to a campaign aide.

The Democratic field has been slow to take shape, in part because Brown is far stronger than many expected him to be in the heavily Democratic Bay State.

Recent polling has suggested that Brown may be the most popular politician in the state. And several local reports note that the Senator may spend as much as $25 million on his campaign.