Berkley trails Heller campaign by $1 million

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller has $1 million more cash on hand for his Senate campaign than challenger Rep. Shelley Berkley, giving him a financial advantage for the final weeks before the Nov. 6 election.

Heller, R-Nev., took in $1.9 million during the latest three-month fundraising period ending at the end of September, his campaign said Saturday. He also had $1.9 million cash on hand.

Berkley, D-Nev., raised $1.65 million during the last quarter and reported $925,000 cash on hand, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The Senate race in Nevada is one of the closest in the country and could help determine whether Democrats hold onto control of the upper house and whether U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., remains majority leader.

With so much at stake, outside political groups and the Democratic and Republican campaign committees have been spending millions of dollars in TV ads in the Senate race, including attack ads against Heller or Berkley, to influence voters and the outcome of the race.

Most recent public polls have shown Heller narrowly leading Berkley in the race .

Over the weekend, the Berkley campaign leaked an internal poll to the Washington Post that showed her leading Heller by 3 points. It could have been a move to show she has a good chance of winning the race, which could help her raise cash to compete with Heller.

Contact reporter Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow her on Twitter @lmyerslvrj.