The Associated Press

BATON ROUGE - While Democrat Kathleen Blanco of Lafayette repeatedly claimed Republican Bobby Jindal of Baton Rouge had a huge fund-raising advantage in the early days after the Oct. 4 gubernatorial primary, the most recent reports show each entered the runoff with about $500,000.

According to recently filed campaign finance reports, both candidates hustled for money, with Blanco raising $2.4 million and Jindal raising $2.2 million since the primary.

Blanco, who had complained of being cash-strapped at the beginning of her runoff campaign, actually took an early lead, raising about $1.4 million in the first few weeks, although Jindal soon caught up.

Shortly after the primary, Blanco claimed her pressing need to raise cash was the main reason she could not agree to Jindal's request that the candidates meet in 10 televised debates. "Mr. Jindal has a certain advantage over me right now," she said at a news conference six days after the primary. "He left the (primary) campaign with more than a million (dollars) in the bank, and I have to do my fund raising."

While Jindal had more than a million dollars in his campaign coffers earlier in the primary, he spent almost all of that in the last few weeks of the primary, finance reports show. Blanco also shelled out almost all of the cash stashed in her coffers fending off the attacks of Democratic challengers.

But both had been actively fund raising in the last weeks of the primary, replenishing some of that money as it was depleted. At the start of the runoff, Blanco had about $460,000 in the bank, while Jindal had about $491,000 in the bank, according to an analysis of the reports done by The Times-Picayune.

Jindal has had one advantage over Blanco.

While the Democratic Governors' Association has been active behind the scenes during the race, the Republican Governors Association has run two commercials on television promoting Jindal and paid for a poll in the race. The nonprofit groups in Washington, D.C., raise money throughout the country.

Both the state Democratic and Republican parties have contributed ample amounts to their candidates, the Republicans giving Jindal $250,000 and Democrats spending $189,454 on Blanco's behalf, according to the reports. Louisiana law lets the two parties contribute unlimited amounts to a candidate's race.

Both Blanco and Jindal hit up many of their top contributors again when they made it into the runoff. A gubernatorial candidate may accept $5,000 from businesses and individuals for the primary and another $5,000 for the runoff.

A total of 37 people contributed the maximum $10,000 to Blanco's campaign, compared with 45 max-out contributors for Jindal.

Blanco has continued to receive support from ardent financial backers during the primary race, raking in $19,128 from Acadian Ambulance & Air Med Services and various employees of the company. One of Blanco's brothers is a top executive at the Lafayette firm. Dore Energy Corp. gave $15,000 to Blanco.

During the runoff money race, Blanco also has brought in financial support from well-known Democrats, including former New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu, who gave $5,000. State Rep. Jerry Luke LeBlanc, D-Lafayette, and state Sen. Donald Hines, D-Bunkie, each contributed $5,000.

On the Republican side, Jindal pulled in large contributions from major GOP contributors. Joseph Canizaro, a New Orleans businessman who traditionally is a major contributor to the Republican Party, has given Jindal $50,000 through businesses and relatives since the primary.

Individuals and businesses associated with Donald "Boysie" Bollinger, another Republican contributor who is close to Gov. Mike Foster, have donated $22,000 to Jindal. Lawton Oil Co. in Sulphur, along with individuals associated with the company, have donated $27,500 to the campaign.