Democrat Jon Ossoff raised about $1 million during the first three months of the year and will report more than $1.8 million in his campaign account for his bid to oust U.S. Sen. David Perdue.

Ossoff, an investigative journalist, is one of three top Democrats vying to compete against the first-term Republican, who has amassed a $9 million war chest.

He led business executive Sarah Riggs Amico and former Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson in a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll.

With Democrats largely abstaining from openly pummeling one another, Ossoff has emerged as the front-runner to challenge Perdue, thanks partly to his high name recognition in metro Atlanta.

His campaign shattered fundraising records during a 2017 U.S. House special election that he narrowly lost to Republican Karen Handel. Ossoff’s campaign said it received more than 25,000 donations this quarter, nearly all under $200.

The financial reports for federal candidates due Wednesday span a three-month period between Jan. 1 and the end of March, a stretch that coincided with a worsening coronavirus pandemic that drained bank accounts and sapped interest in political contests.

MoreGeorgia candidates report fundraising hauls amid pandemic

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Pinky Cole's Ponce City Market location in Atlanta, Georgia, 'Bar Vegan', during lunch time on April 5, 2024. (Jamie Spaar for the Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Credit: Jamie Spaar