JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Democrat Jay Nixon raised more money than either of his likely Republican gubernatorial opponents in the past quarter, though Republicans Kenny Hulshof and Sarah Steelman each took in hundreds of thousands of dollars after their late entry into the race.  Campaign finance figures released Tuesday show Nixon, the attorney general, raised nearly $1.5 million for his gubernatorial bid from January through March.

Nixon's campaign claimed it raised more than any candidate for Missouri governor has ever raised in the first quarter of an election year.  After expenses, Nixon had $2.7 million on hand as of the end of March.

Hulshof's gubernatorial campaign said the congressman raised $906,683 since announcing his candidacy for governor on Jan. 29, one week after Republican Gov. Matt Blunt stunned Missouri's political establishment by declaring he wouldn't seek re-election. A spokesman for Hulshof said his gubernatorial campaign had $732,224 on hand, after expenses, at the end of March. 

Hulshof also made good on an earlier pledge to donate most of the money remaining in his congressional campaign fund to the Missouri Republican Party, rather than using it for his gubernatorial bid.  He transferred $200,000 from his congressional account to the state party in February and March, according to a report filed this week with the Federal Election Commission.

Steelman said she raised $658,753 from contributors during the past quarter and loaned her gubernatorial campaign $500,000.  She's the only of the three leading governor's candidates to have put her own money into the race.

Steelman planned to seek re-election as treasurer but switched course after Blunt's announcement and transferred the money she already had raised for the treasurer's race to her gubernatorial campaign.  After expenses, Steelman's campaign said, she had more than $1.4 million on hand as of the end of March.

Candidates face a 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline to file financial reports with the Missouri Ethics Commission.