This week Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle became the first of the four Republican candidates for governor to surpass the 1,000 mark in individual contributions.

His campaign said the milestone was a strong indicator that the mayor has deep and broad support across the state.

“I want to thank everyone that has contributed and helped our campaign reach this major fundraising milestone,” Battle said in a news release. “This shows the kind of support we have across Alabama.”

Battle’s contributions totaled 1,116 as of last week, according to his campaign.

He is running for the GOP nomination against Governor Kay Ivey, State Sen. Bill Hightower of Mobile, and Birmingham evangelist Scott Dawson.

Cash-in-hand totals, according to the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the Alabama Secretary of State’s office:

— Ivey: $2,185,000

— Battle: $1,301,000

— Hightower: $653,000

— Dawson: $377,000

The primary is June 5.

(J. Pepper Bryars is the editor of Yellowhammer News and the author of “American Warfighter.”)