King leads the pack in Maine Senate race fundraising

PORTLAND — Independent Angus King has raised more than $1.1 million in the latest reporting period, roughly double the amount raised by Republican Charlie Summers and nearly 20 times the amount raised by Democrat Cynthia Dill in the closely watched U.S. Senate race in Maine.

King's fundraising in his quarterly report from July 1 to Sept. 30 brought his total to $2 million. That compares with a total of $656,000 for Summers and $148,000 for Dill.

But those figures don't include money spent by so-called super PACs, which are allowed to spend unlimited money on a campaign as long as the spending is not part of a coordinated effort with a candidate. So far, estimates put the amount of spending by independent groups at about $4 million.

Even as the campaign enters the final weeks, the candidates still are raising money. King is scheduled to attend a fundraiser hosted by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday.

Dill, whose campaign has lagged in spending, lashed out at the level of spending in the race, calling it a "sickening money binge" that reflects "the status quo — a millionaires' club."

"Fellow Maine citizens, I need you to join me today in standing up to this drunken fest of out-of-control campaign spending. Let's together send a message to those folks from away who are writing $500,000 checks: Maine's U.S. Senate seat is not for sale," she said in a statement.

Dill, King and Summers are vying for the seat that's being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe. Also in the race are three other independents: Steve Woods of Yarmouth, Danny Dalton of Brunswick and Andrew Ian Dodge of Harpswell.

Monday was the deadline for candidates to file their quarterly spending and donor reports to the Senate secretary, who will forward them to the Federal Election Commission.

The reports released Monday show that King had the most cash on hand, with $464,000 at the end of the reporting period, compared with $190,000 for Summers.

In Maine's congressional races, the incumbents, Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud, both held fundraising advantages over their Republican challengers.

In the 2nd Congressional District, Michaud brought in $216,000 in the quarter to bring his total to $1.15 million. Maine Senate President Kevin Raye's figures weren't immediately available.

In the 1st Congressional District, Pingree reported raising $167,000 in the latest quarter to bring her fundraising total to $951,000, far surpassing Republican opponent Jon Courtney, who raised $67,000 in the quarter to raise his total to $110,000.

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