With the election still months away, San Francisco's mayoral candidates have wasted no time in collecting cash.
Dennis Herrera, the current City Attorney, has raked in about a quarter million. Senator Leland Yee and entrepreneur Joanna Rees each have about $150,000, according to gossip columnists.
Bevan Dufty's cruising along with about $100,000, and Phil Ting, who recent raised a fuss about having to pay for parking tickets, has around $50,000.
At this point, it's unclear whether Starchild will run.
The city itself will shell out around $8 million for the campaigns. Candidates who raise large amounts of money will get matching funds, paid for by taxpayers. That's far more than the $1.4 million we spent last year to finance bids for the Board of Supervisors.
The candidates are voluntarily limited to $1.3 million, but there's nothing stopping them from breaking their commitment -- after all, they're politicians. Gavin Newsom spent $1.5 in 2007, despite facing no serious challengers.
Mayoral Candidates Raking in Cash
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