Democratic congressional candidate Jim Hunt raised more campaign funds in the past three months than did the man he hopes to challenge this fall, Republican incumbent Denny Rehberg.

"This is just another sign that Montanans want change," Hunt said Monday as he revealed that he raised nearly $133,000 in the seven weeks ending March 31. Hunt became a candidate on Feb. 12.

But U.S. Rep. Rehberg, a four-term incumbent, still holds a huge financial advantage in total campaign "cash on hand," with $570,000 in his campaign account at the end of March.

Rehberg and his campaign said the total is $45,000 more than he had at this time during his 2006 re-election effort, calling it a record level for a Montana House campaign.

"I'm consistently amazed by the tremendous outpouring of support our campaign is receiving from all over Montana," Rehberg said in a statement Monday.

Rehberg, a rancher and land developer from Billings, is running for a fifth consecutive term as Montana's only U.S. House representative.

Hunt, an attorney from Helena, is one of three Democrats vying for the nomination to challenge Rehberg this fall. The other Democrats in the race are former Public Service Commissioner John Driscoll of Helena, who has said he doesn't plan to raise any money, and farmer-rancher Robert Candee of Sidney.

Voters will choose the Democratic nominee in the June 3 primary election. Rehberg has no primary opposition.

Here are the highlights of Hunt's and Rehberg's campaign-finance reports for the first three months of the year:

n Hunt raised $133,000, all but $10,000 of it from individuals. He spent close to $18,000 on campaign-related items, leaving $115,000 in his campaign account as of March 31.

Two political action committee, or PACs, controlled by U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester, both Democrats, each gave Hunt $5,000.

n Rehberg raised nearly $107,000 during the same three-month period, including $23,000 from PACs and the rest from individuals. He spent about $69,000 on campaign expenses, giving him a net gain of $38,000.

Yet he started the year with about $533,000 in his campaign fund, so the additional money left him with almost $571,000 -- or five times the money of Hunt's campaign on March 31.

n Rehberg said 97 percent of his individual donors this year are from Montana. Most of Hunt's donors also had Montana addresses, and one-third of his money came from fellow attorneys.

"While we'll never be able to compete with the big-dollar special interests, we're excited and encouraged by the regular Montanans who are calling for change and getting behind our grassroots campaign," Hunt said.

Rehberg had a similar statement, saying "I'm energized to see how many Montanans are willing to stand up for our shared vision by contributing to my campaign."

Rehberg is considered an early favorite in the race, although Hunt has promised to wage an aggressive campaign.

Hunt has criticized Rehberg as a yes-man for the policies of President Bush, including the Iraq war.

Rehberg has been generally supportive of Bush's war policies, but in the past year has defied the president on some key issues, such as voting to override the president's veto on expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program.