NEW YORK, NY November 30, 2005 —When the final numbers are in, Bloomberg's campaign spending should match the record he set in 2001. WNYC's Andrea Bernstein has more.

Speaking at a forum at the Milano School for Public Affairs, senior Bloomberg aide Bill Cunningham said the next filing will show the campaign spent "about as much money as we spent last time." That would put the total at about $75 million.

Cunningham also argued that when "you adjust for inflation we might actually have spent less." In 2001, Bloomberg said he needed to spend because he was a political neophyte running against well-known Democrats. This time, he said he was spending what he needed to run an effective campaign.

By contrast, Democrat Fernando Ferrer will have spent about 7 million. Actual disclosures are due next week. For WNYC, I'm Andrea Bernstein.