State Sen. Tarryl Clark of St. Cloud reports raising $308,000 in the third quarter in her campaign to become the DFL nominee for Congress from the Sixth District, the seat now held by Republican Michele Bachmann. Dr. Maureen Reed of Stillwater, also seeking the DFL nomination, reports raising $130,000.

Clark's number is especially impressive because she entered the race at the end of July, so she had only two months to fund-raise. Reed's fall quarter is a drop from the previous quarter when she raise and impressive $232,000. The Reed press release says she has over $300,000 cash on hand. Clark claims $270,000.

On balance, these numbers are good for Clark but not bad for Reed. Clark is the newcomer to the race but the more established political name. She claims to be one only a few challengers nationwide to put up a $300,000 quarter. She has been racking up endorsements, mostly from labor but also from WomenWinning. Reed has received no comparable endorsements.

EMILY's list, a potent fund-raising network for pro-choice women candidates, recently put Clark on its list of "emerging" races, which means they haven't yet endorsed her but are watching to see whether she can present a serious challenge to Bachmann. Reed is not really a candidate of EMILY's list support, since she has not made a clear statement of her position on abortion rights.Bachmann is very strongly pro-life. The 6th district has the highest pro-life rating of any Minnesota congressional district. Reed has been arguing that Clark is too liberal to carry the district while Reed calls herself a moderate.

A lot of national Democratic contributors are probably in a similar posture to EMILY's list. They would love to help unseat Bachmann but are waiting for evidence that the two-term incumbent and darling of both the anti-tax and social conservative wings of the Republican establishment is really vulnerable. Bachmann is also a prolific fund-raiser with a high national profile and will have plenty of money to defend herself, especially if subsquent developments suggest that she faces a tough race.

Both Clark and Reed are seeking the DFL endorsement for the seat. Clark has pledged to abide by the endorsement. Reed has not made that pledge and has recently been more open about threatening to challenge Clark in a primary if Clark is endorsed. Reed, whose only prior candidacy was on the Independence Party ticket, is also seeking the IP endorsement but has ruled out running on the IP ticket in November.