I knew once Shelly Moore Caputo dropped out Hiram would pick up steam!
..Lewis said his donations now exceed $500,000 and came from 15,000 donors.
He said his fundraising has improved since Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., decided not to run.
Most of Lewis' large campaign donors come from other states.
In early August, Lewis mailed a fundraising letter with a cover letter from Alan Keyes, the conservative who ran for president in 1996 and 2000, then lost a U.S. Senate race in Illinois.
"Dear American of Moral Principle," Lewis began a five-page attack on Byrd. He appealed to "conservatives" to "begin a new path for renewal that America has needed for a very, very long time."
Lewis said he expects to return home from Louisiana in mid-November.