Charlie Crist raised $1.8 million in the last three months, far less than Marco Rubio ($4.5 million) but more than Crist's last haul.

Crist raised $1.1 million last period when he was still a Republican in the race for U.S. Senate. Now he's an independent and is making a broader appeal for contributions. He has $8.2 million cash on hand.

“I couldn’t be more delighted,” Crist said in an interview. “It’s uncharted territory. We only hope that people will continue to believe in what we’re trying to do.”

UPDATE: Rubio will report more than $4.4 million cash on hand. Campaign spokesman Alex Burgos said $1.3 million was spent on TV ads in April responding to "Crist's attacks," and he said another big expense was building a donor network that now boasts of 75,000 people.

"It’s no surprise that Charlie Crist would maintain a significant advantage over Marco at this point,” Burgos said. “He’s been the Republican establishment candidate and now he’s seeking to be the Democratic establishment candidate.”