McIlvaine Smith's monetary contributions and receipts from the period before the primary until the few weeks after the Nov. 7 election totalled about $152,000. Her in-kind contributions totalled about $231,000, for a grand total of $383,000. She has about $20,000 left over.
Royer's monetary contributions and receipts from before the primary until a few weeks after the election totaled about $147,000. His in-kind contributions totaled about $127,000, for a grand total of $274,000. He has about $3,000 left over.
The candidates still have to file a final report.
Royer said that the money both parties spent on the campaigns could possibly be the most money ever spent on state representative campaigns in the history of Chester County.
A Royer campaign spokesperson, Mike Stoll, also noted that the money each of the campaigns spent and raised was high.
"Historically, I think suburban open seats are expensive, but it is still a substantial amount of money," he said.
Lani Frank, Smith's campaign manager, said that the Smith's numbers are outstanding for the Democratic Party.
"This was like a first for Chester County Democrats to have raised this kind of money," she said. "We're proud of what we were able to do on a local level."
Smith credited the amount of money she raised to the closeness of the race and Democrats wanting to take back control of the state House for the first time since 1994.
"Because we wanted to get control of the House, the state committee and House Democratic Campaign Committee were willing to put more money into my campaign," she said.
Both of the candidates received contributions from unions, as well as political action committees (PACs). Smith also received contributions from environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation voters.
With such a tight race, the candidates spent a lot of money on media outlets. They each had three television spots. They also did radio ads and had an elaborate mailing system. Smith also spent money on two ads in the Daily Local News.
Royer said that the mailing aspect was one of the most crucial parts of the campaign.
"For state legislative candidates, one of the main methods of delivering a message was through mail," he said.
He added that his campaign sent out districtwide mailers, and targeted Republicans and independents. Smith said her campaign just sent out districtwide mailers.
Royer also said that he is not surprised Smith raised and spent more money than he did.
"This was her second run for the state legislature. She had a built-in fundraising network from two years ago," he said. "We raised as much as we needed to raise to keep the race competitive."
Smith ran and lost against Republican incumbent state Rep. Elinor Z. Taylor in 2004.
Smith said so much money had to be spent in order to compete with what she called the Republican machine.
"The thinking was we needed to spend more to keep my name out there," she said.
"We were up against a political machine in this county and one that has the resources available to it."
She also regrets that about half a million dollars between the two campaigns had to be spent on the race, instead of other causes.
"I believe that the money spent on political campaigns could be better used to solve a lot of the problems that are in our district, county and state," she said. "That money could be spent on bettering our education, health care system and environment."
Royer said he is not sure what he will do with the money left over from his campaign, while Smith said the money she has will be used for the next time she runs.
Other close races in the county, including the Congressional race between Republican Jim Gerlach and Lois Murphy in the 6th District and the race for state representative between Republican Duane Milne and Democrat Anne Crowley in the 167th District, made it more difficult to raise money, according to Royer.
"This was a tough year to raise money because there were so many races in Chester County where candidates were asking for lots of money from donors," he said. "I think the amount we raised is impressive for a state legislature candidate."
Smith said that she was pleased not all of her money came from political committees, but from regular residents.
"We had a lot of people who gave us money that were regular citizens, not only from the district, but from the county, state and all over," she said.
With all of the money spent on the campaigns, the race is still technically not over. Smith leads Royer by 23 votes, but Republicans are requesting a recount. If all of the ballots are hand-counted, as requested by Republicans want, the final winner might not be known for another few weeks.
To contact staff writer Brian Fanelli, send an e-mail to bfanelli@dailylocal.com.