Mayor Ed Lee Raises Pile of Campaign Cash

With his fundraisers handling things, Mayor Ed Lee can take it easy.

The incumbent in the Nov. 8 San Francisco mayoral election raked in $750,000 since he entered the race in early August, according to fundraising reports released in the past week.

That's the most of any candidate in the dozen-odd field -- and everyone else had been raising money since July 1, the beginning of the most recent reporting period, which ended Thursday.

Ed Lee raised money from 1,900 donors and from every San Francisco neighborhood, his campaign handlers gloated. He's also spent the most money, according to filings, tearing through almost $600,000 of that cash in the same period, according to filings.

That means he has less cash on hand than some of his competitors. For instance, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu had $568,000 in the bank on Sept. 24, the close of the latest filing period, compared to $274,000 in cash available for Lee, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Chiu has raised $546,000, but with money from public financing that number swells to more than $1 million. Ed Lee has chosen not to take public financing.

Other candidates with considerable fundraising include former Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, who has $321,000 on hand, and City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who has $310,000.