Republican shore-based State Senator Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) is flush with cash for his expected US Senate run against incumbent Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

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Documents filed with the Federal Election Commission show that he’s raised $1,750,000 as of March 31, according to campaign staffers. That includes $1,400,000 cash on hand. They say that about 90 percent of the nearly 2,000 donors are based in New Jersey.

In a statement, Kyrillos said he’s gratified by the turnout. “…the message couldn’t be clearer: we simly cannot afford more politics as usual,” he continued.

The Republican had a slow start in the recognition race but he’s buoyed by the most recent Qunnipiac University survey placing Menendez at 44 percent – just below the line generally considered trouble for incumbents seeking another term.

Kyrillos has a primary in June. His declared challengers are Toms River solar entrepreneur Joseph Rudy Rullo, running as the “Conservative Alternative,” and County College of Morris adjunct professor Bader Qarmout.

Others mentioned as potential candidates who haven’t declared or declined include Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, state Senators Jennifer Beck (R-12) and Thomas Kean Jr. (R-21), Port Authority Executive Director and former legislator Bill Baroni, Jets owner Woody Johnson, and political commentator Lou Dobbs.

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