With an assist from President Barack Obama, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias had a healthy quarter of fundraising. His third quarter report, released today, shows that the state treasurer raised about $2.3 million between the months of July and September, leaving his campaign with roughly $1.2 million in the bank at the beginning of this month. From a release:

"Thanks to the continued support of thousands of grassroots supporters across the state, we have the resources to fight back against the false attack ads from Mark Kirk and his longtime friend Karl Rove.

Federal Election Commission figures from GOP nominee Mark Kirk are not yet available. In the meantime, Giannoulias released a new ad that is chock-full of Illinoisans voicing their opinions on Kirk. Watch: