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MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (CBS) ―

Polls conducted in the last few weeks have shown Gov. Jon Corzine evening his support in his re-election bid with Republican rival Chris Christie.

Campaign finance reports made public on Wednesday give a clearer picture of how much Corzine has flooded television airwaves with his messages — most of them portraying Christie as troubled on both ethics and issues.

Since the general election campaigns began in June, Corzine's has spent $16.8 million. Of that, he contributed $15.6 million himself. It's unclear whether he will match the nearly $40 million he spent on his 2005 election — nearly all of it his own.

Christie, a former U.S. Attorney, has brought in $9.6 million and spent $5.4 million.

Unlike Corzine, Christie is accepting public financing. That means each $1 donation he receives gets him another $2 in matching funds. But it also limits him to spend no more than $11 million in all.

Chris Daggett, a centrist Independent candidate who has been gaining support, has raised just over $1 million, including public matching money, and has spent nearly all of it. He still owes more than $500,000 to an advertising agency.

The combined contributions and spending are both less than they were at this point in the 2005 gubernatorial election.

Jefrey Brindle, executive director of the Election Law Enforcement Commission, said potential givers could be discouraged because of new laws that put restrictions on public contracts for political donors.

Also, in 2005, neither Corzine nor Republican Douglas Forrester accepted public funding or the limits that come with it.

Corzine's spending power sets him apart because he can buy far more television ads in the New York and Philadelphia markets, which are among the nation's largest and costliest.

Since July, he has spent more than $8.6 million just to buy broadcast TV airtime. That's about 60 percent more than Christie has spent on his entire campaign, from office supplies to catering for fundraisers.

Corzine's airtime purchases do not include the costs of producing his commercials or other forms of advertising, including billboards, mailers, Internet, cable and radio ads.

The campaign disclosures filed with the state's Election Law Enforcement Commission, do not tell the whole campaign spending story.

There are only two gubernatorial races in the country this year — the other is in Virginia — and both look like they will be tight. The Republican and Democratic Governors Associations are spending millions in both states, though they are not allowed to coordinate their work with the campaigns.

They are not required to report their spending in New Jersey, but records show each organization has spent more than $4 million in Virginia so far.

The Star-Ledger of Newark reported on Wednesday that New Jersey donors, who cannot give more than $3,400 directly to candidates, have been donating heavily to the national groups. New Jersey individuals and political action committees have given more than $700,000 to the Democratic organization this year.

The Republican organization has received more than $900,000 from New Jersey, including $200,000 from Christie's brother, Todd Christie.

A Fairleigh Dickinson University-PublicMind Poll released Tuesday showed 44 percent of voters favoring Corzine to Christie's 43 percent, well within the margin of error. It's the first time a major poll has put them so close. Christie was ahead by more than 10 points in a series of polls during the summer. Corzine was elected governor on November 8, 2005.



 

(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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