Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is leading his opponents in fundraising, according to documents filed with the Madison city clerk.

In the reporting period from July 1 to Dec. 31, Cieslewicz raised more than $42,000 from 435 different sources.

"He has been able to get things done in Madison, and people see that, and it makes them want to support him," said Megan McGrorty, campaign manager for Cieslewicz.

To date, the mayor has contributed $650 of his own money to his re-election campaign. Among those challenging him is Ray Allen, former Madison School Board member and owner of The Madison Times. Allen has contributed more than $64,000 of his own money to his campaign.

"This shows his commitment to the race, and the fact that he's not going to allow any influence of special interest on his campaign," said Allen spokesperson Semmi Pasha.

Over the last reporting period, Allen raised about $55,000. Since deciding to run for mayor, he has raised more than $116,000.

Cieslewicz began planning for his re-election campaign shortly after being elected in 2003. Since taking office, he has raised about $220,000.

McGrorty said the majority of Cieslewicz's campaign contributions have come from Madisonians, and the average contribution has been less than $100.

"He's counting on support from the community, whereas our Republican opponent (Allen) is counting on the support of developers and himself," McGrorty said.

The mayor will also be facing off against Peter Muñoz, executive director of the non-profit organization Centro Hispano. To date, Muñoz has raised about $6,500 from unsolicited donors and has not yet contributed to his own campaign account.

"I don't want to buy this campaign; I don't want to buy this office," Muñoz said. "I'm counting on the support of the people."

Munoz attributes his lower fundraising numbers to his late entry in the mayoral race. Entering days before the deadline to donate, many donors had already declared their support for other candidates.

"Perhaps if I had entered nine months ago or so, I would have had significant endorsements that would have come to me rather than Ray Allen or the mayor, but people do commit, and you have to be respectful of that," Muñoz said.

Munoz held his first fundraiser Thursday at the Brink Lounge on East Washington Avenue.

According to Charles Franklin, political science professor at the University of Wisconsin, incumbent politicians, like Cieslewicz, usually have an easier time raising funds.

"Any incumbent who's not in deep electoral trouble normally has a substantial advantage over any challenger," Franklin said. "There's no scandal and he's not about to be indicted or anything like that."

Franklin added incumbents also have the advantage of being able to go back to people who donated to their initial campaign to ask for more money.

But Pasha said Allen is closing in on Cieslewicz's fundraising numbers, indicating April's election may not be an easy win for the mayor.

"Fundraising indicated the viability of the campaign," Pasha said. "If you look at the numbers … it's going to be a very competitive race. This race is a lot closer than folks think."

Pasha said Allen plans to aggressively fundraise in these final months leading up to the election.

The mayoral primary election will be held Feb. 20. Two candidates will move past that to the general election, which will be held April 3.