• Posted on Tuesday, August 3, 2010
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Meg Whitman's governor campaign spending nears $100 million

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman spent a record-shattering $99.7 million in campaign funds through June 30, according to campaign finance records filed Monday.

Whitman, who faced a June 8 primary election challenge from Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, has spent far more than Democratic rival Jerry Brown, who was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Brown's gubernatorial campaign spent $633,205 through June 30.

Whitman had $10.3 million in reserves at the end of the filing period, while Brown had $23.2 million, the records showed.

The two candidates are virtually tied in the most recent public opinion polls.

Whitman, the billionaire former CEO of online auction firm eBay, has poured $91.1 million of her own wealth into her campaign and raised another $17.6 million from other sources.

Brown has raised virtually all his money from outside sources, with unions all over the state and nation contributing heavily.

Whitman received $3.3 million in contributions between May 23 and June 30, while donors gave Brown $2.8 million.

On top of that, three union-funded independent expenditure committees had spent $5.9 million as of June 30, much of it on TV and radio ads criticizing Whitman. The most well-funded group, California Working Families, had raised $6.2 million and spent $4.3 million.

To read the complete article, visit www.sacbee.com.

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