Kamala Harris reports raising $6 million this year for her U.S. Senate campaign

Reporting from Sacramento —  California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris reported raising $6 million for her U.S. Senate campaign this year, a formidable amount that accompanies her lead in recent opinion polls, according to financial filings released Thursday.

Harris, a Democrat from San Francisco, reported raising $1.8 million in campaign contributions in the three-month period that ended Sept. 30. Harris also spent the bulk of that amount -- $1.4 million – during that same period.

The campaign reported having $3.3 million on hand as of Sept. 30.

The Harris campaign provided a copy of her federal campaign finance report to the Los Angeles Times on Thursday. Thursday is the deadline for Senate candidates to file their reports to the Federal Election Commission for campaign money raised and spent between July 1 and Sept. 30.

Harris, the former San Francisco district attorney who was first elected attorney general in 2010, received strong financial support from the legal community and the Bay Area, including from former state Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.

The attorney general also received major support from the entertainment industry, including HBO chief executive Richard Plepler, Viacom chief administrative officer Scott Mills and Sony Pictures Television President Andrew Kaplan.

Other notable supporters included Harvard University historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., former Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke and Terri T. McCullough of the Clinton Foundation.

Among the biggest campaign expenditures were for political consultants, research, fundraising and campaign staff salaries and expenses. The campaign also reported $401,000 in campaign debt.

Harris’ top Democratic rival in the Senate race is Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Garden Grove, whose campaign finance report was not available.

The top Republicans in the race include two former state Republican Party chairmen, Contra Costa County attorney Tom Del Beccaro and Silicon Valley lawyer George “Duf” Sundheim. GOP Assemblyman Rocky Chavez of Oceanside also is in the race.

Sundheim reported raising $241,000 this year with $130,345 cash on hand; Del Beccaro reported raising $145,142 with $55,273 cash on hand; and Chavez reported raising $93,579 and having $9,528 cash on hand.

According to a recent Field Poll, Harris leads the pack of Senate candidates with 30% voter support, and Sanchez was second with 17%. Chavez was the front-runner among the Republican candidates, with support from 9% of likely voters. Del Beccaro had 6% and Sundheim had 3%, according to the poll.

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