JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — New reports show Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon entered the final month before the November elections with three times as much campaign cash as his Republican challenger.

Finance figures released Monday show the Democratic governor had $4.9 million in his campaign account at the start of October, compared with $1.5 million for St. Louis businessman Dave Spence.

The October quarterly finance reports typically are important because they show how much cash a candidate has remaining for ads and other campaign activities. But Spence could tap into his personal resources to make up for the gap. He previously loaned or gave his campaign about $4 million.

Other finance reports show that Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and Democratic challenger Susan Montee both had around $270,000 in their campaign accounts.

© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.