Reports show Watson spending far ahead of the pack

Mayoral candidate Kirk Watson, who wishes to claim the center seat again, has raised and spent far more money than any other candidate in his race – or any of the others up for election next week.

Watson, a former mayor and former senator, reported that he had spent more than $830,000 while receiving more than $113,000 in contributions during this reporting period. According to his report, he still had more than $113,000 in his campaign account last week. Watson also reported expenditures on his behalf by the Austin Firefighters Public Safety Fund.

Celia Israel, on the other hand, reported spending a little more than $89,000 after raising more than $58,000 during the month of October. Israel’s report indicates that she had a little more than $38,000 in the bank at the end of last week.

Jennifer Virden, the conservative contender in the race, loaned herself $300,000 earlier this year and she reported this week that she still had more than $252,000 in the bank after spending about $78,000. She said she had raised nearly $20,000 in the past month.

Two other candidates in the race, Philip Brual and Anthony Bradshaw, had not filed reports as of late Wednesday. The other candidate, Gary Spellman, indicated when he filed that he would not be raising money.

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