Day of decision in state's costliest campaign ever

Candidates for governor have spent more than $42.8 million this year, obliterating every state campaign spending record, largely the result of three millionaire candidates who have burned through about $23 million of their personal fortunes.

Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey is the latest to join the record books. A week ago, the Republican nominee had spent $12.8 million, most of it her money, state records show. That breaks a mark set six weeks earlier by Christopher Gabrieli in losing the Democratic primary.

Healey is also nearing Gabrieli's mark for a candidate spending personal money on his campaign. He put $10.1 million into his losing campaign out of $10.6 million spent, according to reports filed with the state. Healey has contributed $9.4 million to her campaign, including $2.2 million in the last two weeks of October.

The previous records for total spending and self-funding were set four years ago by Mitt Romney, who spent almost $9.4 million, $6.3 million of his own cash.

Deval L. Patrick, the Democratic nominee, is leading in the polls, but trailing Healey in the spending derby. He has set the record for fund-raising the old-fashioned way, through individual donations capped at $500 per year.

Through Oct. 31, the latest filing period, Patrick had collected about $8.2 million, kicked in another $348,000 of his own, and spent roughly $8.4 million.

"The most impressive number is not the amount we raised, but the number of donors who have given to the campaign," said Doug Rubin, a senior adviser to Patrick's campaign. "There are 28,000 people who have in some way, either large or small, made contributions. I think that's indicative of the campaign we've tried to run."

Four years ago, Democrat Shannon O'Brien raised almost $6.3 million from individual contributors in her losing effort.

The record for combined spending by all candidates in a governor's race, also set in 2002, fell long ago.

By Oct. 31, the $42.8 million spent by six gubernatorial candidates shattered the mark of $30.6 million set by nine candidates four years ago; the six candidates this year are Patrick, Healey, Gabrieli, Attorney General Thomas F . Reilly, independent candidate Christy Mihos, and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Grace Ross.

Of the total spent this year, $23.2 million, more than half is the personal money of candidates. The final preelection campaign finance reports were filed electronically yesterday by the candidates' banks.

"The personal wealth of so many gubernatorial candidates is what makes this race so unique," said Denis Kennedy, spokesman for the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

Mihos, owner of a chain of convenience stores, has spent about $4.2 million, nearly $3.4 million of it his. Green-Rainbow Party candidate Grace Ross has spent $13,919, $6,000 of it hers.

Kennedy said spending on lesser offices this year will not approach the records set in 2002 in contests for lieutenant governor and treasurer, when Gabrieli and Healey, as nominees for the lieutenant governor spots, help set the spending record.

Gabrieli, a venture capitalist, spent $4.9 million of his personal fortune in that contest.

Healey, whose husband is an executive of an asset management firm, spent $1.9 million of the family's cash.

The spending figures, compiled by the state campaign finance office, are based on the two-year period prior to an election. Figures in this year's race will increase, perhaps significantly because they do not include spending for the final week of the campaign or outstanding liabilities that may be paid after the campaigns end.

"You'll see a lot more activity in the mid-November report, as well, because of Election Day costs," Kennedy said.

This year's spending continues a trend of skyrocketing campaign expenses in Massachusetts governor's races.

In 2002, besides Romney and O'Brien, there were four other Democratic candidates, three of whom spent more than $4 million apiece, two minor party candidates, and one independent.

In 1998, two Republicans, three Democrats, and a Libertarian spent $18.6 million. In 1990, two Republicans, three Democrats, and a minor party candidate spent $14.8 million.

The anomaly was 1994, the year of Republican William F. Weld's landslide reelection. Weld, three Democrats, and two minor party candidates spent $6.1 million in that year's race for governor.