MINNEAPOLIS — Democratic Gov. Tim Walz is maintaining a strong financial advantage over the endorsed Republican candidate, Dr. Scott Jensen, for the fall election campaign.

The Walz campaign announced Tuesday that it has raised $1.8 million since Jan. 1 and has $4.5 million in cash on hand. The campaign said that bankroll is a record for a Minnesota gubernatorial campaign at this point in the election cycle.

The Jensen campaign announced Wednesday that it has raised $472,000 since January and has $660,000 left in the bank, after raising nearly $1.7 million since entering the race in March 2021. His war chest is down from the $774,000 he had in cash on hand as of March 31.

But Jensen spent heavily in his campaign to secure the GOP endorsement, which went to nine ballots at the party’s state convention last month. Walz faced no opposition for his party’s backing for a second term.

Jensen, a family physician from Chaska, built his campaign on vaccine skepticism and his opposition to the Walz administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But going forward, Jensen has signaled he intends to stress public safety, taxes, inflation and education.

In announcing its latest fundraising numbers, the Walz campaign said its supporters were mobilizing to defend abortion rights in Minnesota ahead of the anticipated U.S. Supreme Court decision on the issue. It’s also stressing education, public safety and economic opportunity.