The race for Salt Lake City mayor is pulling into the final stretch, with only 41 days until the primary election, and while the candidates are still raising money every chance they get, it's the spending that has really kicked into high gear.

According to campaign finance reports filed with the city recorder's office Wednesday, the nine mayoral candidates have brought in nearly $1.5 million since June 1, the last reporting date. That's a 15 percent boost over the $1.3 million they had raised as of June.

The candidates have spent $856,512, a 71 percent increase since June's total of $498,867.

That money goes to everything from bands and balloons for campaign parties to booths at community events. But the big-ticket item for most campaigns is advertising: billboards, brochures, public-relations firms and Web sites.

The most recent reports show the candidates have maintained their financial rankings in the past two months, with former Salt Lake City Councilman Keith Christensen still the top fund-raiser. He has raised a total of $556,996.

While he is the only candidate to have passed the half-million-dollar mark, he has slowed his fund raising more than any of the other four front-runners since June, bringing in only $47,497 in the past two months.

"The important thing is the total money raised and the amount of money left on hand," said Christensen, who still has $262,558 to spend, by far the biggest of the candidates' reserves.

Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson, meanwhile, held onto her second-place fund-raising rank with a total of $345,857 raised so far. But she outpaced all the other candidates during the past two months, bringing in $104,409 since June.

Wilson said the amount shows a consistency: During all three reporting periods, the campaign has raised just over $100,000, with the biggest gains during the unusually long Feb. 15-to-June 1 period.

"Our campaign is fairly balanced in what we do," Wilson said. "I understand the role that money plays in a mayor's race. I wish it were different — I'm actually a big proponent of campaign finance reform and will work to reform it in the city — but I understand the role it plays."

She said that after the first round of financial reporting in February, she was shocked into action by the emerging reality: This is going to be an expensive race.

"Keith's fund raising has really surprised me," she said. "I've been in politics a long time, and the amount he raised really did wake us up."