Neel Kashkari Outspent Jerry Brown on Unsuccessful Governor’s Bid

California Republican gubernatorial candidate Neel Kaskari outspent his rival, Gov. Jerry Brown, in last year’s unsuccessful bid for the state’s top job.

Kashkari spent more than $7 million on his failed bid, while Brown spent less than $6 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. Brown trounced Kashkari by a 60%-40% margin in November’s election.

What’s more, of the roughly $6 million Brown spent, just $800,000 was directed toward his reelection effort, the Times reports. A full $5.2 million of his reelection money went toward supporting Proposition 1, the state water bond measure, and Proposition 2, the state’s rainy-day fund measure. California voters passed both measures.

Kashkari ran a solid campaign, striking at Brown early and often over the governor’s support of the high speed rail project and winning the only debate between the two candidates.

However, first-time candidate Kashkari suffered from a lack of voter recognition and flailing support among California’s Latino population. A poll conducted just a few weeks before the election revealed that Brown enjoyed a staggering 73%-19% lead among Latino voters in the state.

Of the $7.1 million Kashkari spent on the race, just $4 million came from political donations, according to the Times. Kashkari previously served as assistant U.S. Treasury secretary, where he oversaw the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) bailouts in 2008.

Brown’s victory marks the second time in as many elections that he has won a gubernatorial race while being outspent; in 2010, private billionaire Republican Meg Whitman spent $178 million in her race against Brown, while Brown spent just $36 million.