Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego broke a record as a Latino Senate candidate in his first quarter of fundraising to compete in the next election for the seat of Sen.  Kyrsten Sinema.

Sinema left the Democratic Party in December last year to  become an independent and has yet to announce whether she will run for re-election, though her energetic fundraising seems to suggest so, according to a report in The Hill.

“Gallego netted $3.7 million in his first official fundraising quarter, making his launch more successful than that of any Latino Senate candidate in history”, The Hill states.

“Despite getting bankrolled by Wall Street lobbyists and corporate executives, Sinema couldn’t come close to our grassroots fundraising operation,” the congressman said in a statement to The Hill. “I’m honored to have earned the trust and support of grassroots donors across Arizona. Today’s numbers make it clear: everyday Arizonans are with us. We have a long road ahead, but together we’re unstoppable”.

As reported by Politico, Sinema will report an increase of $1.7  million to  the more than $9.9 million raised in the last quarter.

No Republican has launched a campaign for the seat yet, and according to The Hill, “Gallego’s lack of a primary challenger so far means he is free to reach out to Democrats and independents of all stripes from the get-go”.

“Ruben Gallego’s fundraising numbers are just the latest example of the strength of his candidacy. I think it also helps solidify him as the Democratic nominee, and will keep other Democrats who were thinking of running out of the race”, said Chuck Rocha, a campaign strategist who’s running Gallego’s Latino outreach.

According to his campaign, Gallego received more than 106,000 individual donations in the first quarter.

“The most striking element that shows his grassroots support in state and across the nation is the over 100,000 donors, of which 99 percent can still give again. In politics, it’s easy to talk about ‘support’,” Rocha told The Hill.

Before launching his Senate run, Gallego ran the Congressional Hispanic Caucus campaign arm, Bold PAC, overseeing that group’s largest-ever midterm haul.