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RALEIGH - State Sen. Kay Hagan touted her fundraising prowess Wednesday as one opponent accused her of using "shady Haganomics."

Hagan, a Democratic state senator from Greensboro, said she has raised $1.6 million since April 1.

"A good chunk of that is investment from people in North Carolina who see we have a chance to put someone in the U.S. Senate who is working for them," said Colleen Flanagan , a spokeswoman for the campaign.

About 70 percent of her donors are from North Carolina.

In April, Hagan reported raising nearly $1 million in the first campaign reporting period of the year, which ended in the middle of the month. About $100,000 of that is counted again in the $1.6 million she reported this week.

"This is sort of shady Hagan-

omics, and it adds to the impression that Kay Hagan has trouble telling the truth," said Dole campaign spokesman Dan McLagan . "It's really kind of sad."

Dole did not put out a fundraising number Wednesday, and all candidates have several more days before official reports must be filed.

The Republican began the quarter with far more cash on hand: $3.2 million compared to Hagan's $317,311.

Flanagan said that Hagan released her numbers based on quarters so they would be comparable to campaigns in other states. North Carolina's first reporting period was longer than usual because the state's primary was later in the year than most other states.

"It's important to show we're competitive with other Senate races throughout the country," Flanagan said.

By showing she is keeping a brisk fundraising pace, Hagan will attract dollars from high-dollar donors who give to campaigns throughout the country. That money will be important in hitting the $10 million fundraising goal most analysts believe Hagan must hit to be competitive.

Dole has aired two television commercials . Hagan aired commercials in the primary but has yet to unleash ads for the general election.

Chris Cole , the Libertarian in the race, said he would not be trying to do the kind of fundraising that Dole and Hagan are pursuing.

Although he doesn't think donors should be restricted , Cole said Congress' ventures into unnecessary regulations, "corporate welfare" and land management have prompted the big donations.

"If Congress was sticking to the constitution, there wouldn't be all this need for influence by (interest groups)," he said.

However, fundraising will likely remain a key benchmark for the Democratic and Republican campaigns. Polls this year have shown the effectiveness of television advertising, where the bulk of campaign money is spent. Dole jumped ahead of Hagan by about 10 percentage points in most polls when she put her ads on the air.

But Flanagan points out that Democratic challengers in 2006, such as Jon Tester of Montana and Claire McCaskill of Missouri, also were outspent by their opponents and managed to win. And she said Dole's early spending was a sign of weakness.

"She had to spend more than a million dollars in television advertising reintroducing herself to North Carolinians who haven't seen her for six years," she said.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com