Campbell fundraising lagged behind former GOP rivals

Try as he might, one-time candidate for governor Tom Campbell just couldn’t compete with the financial firepower of his wealthy rivals, former EBay Chief Meg Whitman and Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner.

Those two Republicans have combined to give their campaigns for governor nearly $60 million. Campbell dropped his bid for governor and declared a run for U.S. Senate last month.

On Monday, campaign filings showed he raised roughly $900,000 in 2009 for his since-abandoned bid for governor. He spent $680,000 -- much of it on online outreach; leftover funds cannot be transferred to the federal race. Campbell’s first Senate campaign report won’t be due until April.

-- Shane Goldmacher in Sacramento