Mayor Mike's Big Money Ways

Mayor Bloomberg has spent $23 million on his reelection campaign so far, with $13 million spent on advertising between May 12 and this past Monday. Damn, because it was in March that we said "Damn!" to his spending $5 million. The Post reminds us that the Mayor spent $74 million in 2001, and at this pace, he could spend $100 million. With Senator Jon Corzine spending about $75 million on his Senate campaign, and untold millions on the gubernatorial race this fall, will we only see gazillionaires running?

The sad news is that the Democrats left in the primary race are duking it for what Bloomberg would consider his couch change: Anthony Weiner raised over $300,000 in the past two months, Fernando Ferrer and Gifford Miller each raising over $200,000, and Virginia Fields raising around $185,000. Ferrer and Miller's campaign spoke out against the Mayor's spending, so Bloomberg's campaign spokesman said, "We're not trying to buy the election... the people of New York are too smart to be bought." That shall remain to be seen!