Bob McDonnell (R) raised $3.8 million in September and had $4.5 million remaining at the end of the month, according to campaign finance reports due today, per the Virginia Public Access Project. That cash-on-hand total puts McDonnell nearly $2 million ahead of Creigh Deeds (D), who raised $3.5 million last month and has more than $2.7 million in the bank.

McDonnell currently leads Deeds in the Virginia gubernatorial race by 8.8 points in the RCP Average. Both Deeds and McDonnell have been ratcheting up their spending in the final weeks of the campaign, as polling has moved in McDonnell's direction. Deeds spent nearly $4.79 million in September and McDonnell dropped $4.36 million.

Despite the polling and fundraising deficit, the Deeds campaign released a statement citing their competitive month of fundraising.

"We are encouraged by the enthusiasm from grassroots Virginians and the investments of the Democratic National Committee," said Deeds campaign manager Joe Abbey. "Their support will help us as we move to turn out an unprecedented Democratic vote in 19 days."

The McDonnell campaign issued a statement critical of the Deeds camp's union donors and its strategy of highlighting McDonnell's 1989 graduate school thesis.

"Bankrolled by big national labor unions and national Democrats, we know Creigh Deeds will continue to run one of the most negative and divisive campaigns in Virginia political history," McDonnell campaign manager Phil Cox said. "The conduct of his campaign to date gives us no reason to expect him to address the issues Virginians are concerned about."

Through the end of August, Deeds had received a total of $2.2 million from the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Governors Association, as well as at least $1.5 million from national labor unions.

McDonnell has also received substantial financial support from national Republicans, taking in $3.8 million from the Republican National Committee and Republican Governors Association through the end of August. McDonnell is also attending a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., last night hosted by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).