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Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., announced raising more than $4 million during the 3rd quarter of the year, a huge haul that left him with over $3 million in the bank on September 30.

His campaign noted in a release that West has now raised over $14.5 million over the course of the cycle. With his national brand as a tea party star, West is able to raise big money -- but as we've pointed out before, part of the reason West raises so much is that he spends a lot of money on pricey direct mail to generate contributions.

West finished the second quarter with more than $3.7 million in the bank -- meaning that though he raised over $4 million in the third quarter, he spent even more to end with over $3 million on hand (the campaign has not specified the exact amount spent).

Certainly, not all of that was spent on the fundraising operation this quarter: West has also been advertising on television in his tight and pricey House race with Democrat Patrick Murphy.

Murphy on Monday announced raising $1.1 million during the quarter, and has about $400,000 on hand for the final stretch. The House Majority PAC has also spent $1.5 million on ads supporting Murphy in the district.