Scoop: Senate candidate Cheri Beasley raised $1M in April

Cheri Beasley, the presumptive Democratic nominee in North Carolina's U.S. Senate race, raised more than a million dollars in April, her campaign told Axios Wednesday.

Why it matters: Beasley has a financial advantage going into the November general election over her Republican counterparts, who are spending hefty amounts of cash to take shots at each other ahead of the May 17 primary.

• North Carolina's Senate race could determine whether Democrats hold their slim majority in that chamber in Washington.

Context: Beasley took a major lead in the Democratic field in December when her top competitor, Sen. Jeff Jackson, dropped out of the race. (Jackson is now running for Congress.)

• Beasley has since been able to focus her fundraising efforts on the general election, instead of trying to win the primary.

By the numbers: Beasley's cash on hand at the end of the first quarter dwarfed that of her Republican opponents.

• She reported having $5.1 million as of the end of April.
• Former Gov. Pat McCrory and U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, who are two of the leading candidates in the GOP race, reported having $2.2 million and $1.9 million on hand, respectively.

The race is expected to get more expensive after the primary election.

• It's unclear how Beasley's April fundraising compares to her Republican counterparts, as other candidates have not yet announced their fundraising totals for the month.
• Filings are due May 5.

Worth noting: Some 93% of donations to Beasley were $100 or fewer, her campaign said.

What they're saying: "As Republicans race each other to the bottom, Cheri continues to gain momentum," Beasley campaign manager Travis Brimm said in a statement. "And with every dollar raised, we're building a statewide campaign that will win in November."