Buchanan reports having $1.1 million in campaign account

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan's re-election campaign ended 2011 with $1.1 million cash on hand.

The campaign said in a statement Sunday that Buchanan, who faces a challenge from Sarasota Democrat Keith Fitzgerald in the 13th Congressional District, raised more than $321,000 in the final three months of 2011.

Buchanan's fourth quarter filing, which covers activity between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31,  wasn't yet posted on the Federal Elections Commission website. But the amount  the campaign said he raised would be almost $100,000 more than the amount Fitzgerald said Friday he had raised during the same period. Fitzgerald's report also wasn't available on the website.

Fitzgerald, who in 2010 lost his re-election bid for a state House seat, announced his candidacy for Congress in early October.

"Vern's agenda to create jobs, restrain spending and reduce the national debt has resonated with the people of the 13th District," Buchanan campaign spokeswoman Sally Tibbetts said in a statement. "We are humbled and grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support for Vern's re-election."

At the end of the third quarter, Buchanan, R-Sarasota, reported having more than $904,000 in cash on hand, and no debt.