State Treasurer Steven Grossman accelerated his gubernatorial campaign fund-raising in the second half of September, after Attorney General Martha Coakley launched her own bid, giving him a commanding lead in the money race for next year’s Democratic nomination.
He raised $141,985 in the final two weeks, bringing his September haul to $164,770 and his campaign kitty to $729,325, according to state campaign finance disclosures.
Coakley, who announced her candidacy Sept. 16, collected about $28,000 in the second half of the month, bringing her account to about $258,000, a campaign adviser said. The adviser said Coakley had not started holding fund-raising events, instead choosing to focus on meeting voters and encouraging grass-roots support.
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During and after her 2010 race for US Senate, Coakley was criticized roundly for not spending enough time on retail politics and for running too insular a campaign.
Republican candidate Charles D. Baker collected $119,342 last month, according to a spokesman who said Baker plans to hold his first fund-
raising event in about a week.
After Grossman, the Democrat with the most lucrative September was former homeland security official and Globe op-ed columnist Juliette Kayyem, who netted $88,318, the bulk of it after Coakley’s announcement, and reported having $202,528 on hand.
Biotech executive Joe Avellone reported $63,610, with $121,495 in his war chest.
Former Medicare and Medicaid chief Donald Berwick banked $53,215, giving him a $264,650 balance.
The five Democrats are vying to represent the party in the November 2014 election to succeed Governor Deval Patrick, who is not seeking reelection.
Baker is the only Republican in the race for governor.
Jim O’Sullivan can be reached at jim.osullivan@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JOSreports.