Bachmann reports $4.2 million in second quarter

As previously reported, most of the 2012 Republican hopefuls released their second quarter fundraising totals with the exception of Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. This had fueled speculation that either her numbers would be good or bad. Turns out they’re merely average to low. Note that the reported number of $4.2 million includes $2 million transferred from her congressional campaign.

Report from CNN:

(CNN)-Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann may have announced her bid for the 2012 GOP nomination for president well into the second fundraising quarter, but she still managed to outpace competitors. Bachmann will report $4.2 million in contributions to the Federal Election Commission for the second quarter, according to a Friday release. Reports for the second quarter were due to be filed Friday.

Almost half the amount to be reported by Bachmann, $2 million dollars, was transferred from her congressional account. The rest was raised in more than 88,000 contributions that averaged $48.00 each. Funds raised for federal campaigns can be transferred from one federal account to another according to FEC guidelines. Funds raised by political action committees, or PACs, cannot be transferred to campaign coffers. Bachmann, a tea party darling who’s recently faced both acclaim and criticism, has $3.6 million in cash to spend on her presidential campaign efforts.

This puts Bachmann behind Romney, Paul and Pawlenty for now. I think this simply indicates that her poll numbers in Iowa and nationally are outpacing her fundraising machine. Either that or she will have to work on building a larger fundraising base since she just finished heavily soliciting donations for the 2012 cycle.