http://www.wate.com/story/15617274/following-the-money-in-the-race-for-knoxville-mayor

By the November general election, Knoxville mayoral candidates Madeline Rogero and Mark Padgett will likely have spent nearly a million dollars combined.

Campaign contributions are public record for anyone to see.

So far, Padgett has raised more than $418,000 and Rogero more than $333,000.

And money couldn't be any more important in a runoff. "Money is the oil on which campaigns run. Without it, you can't run a campaign," said 6 News Political Analyst George Korda.

Out of the 1,400 contributors for Rogero, 6 News noticed several were city of Knoxville employees, some in appointed positions.

"A conflict of interest, if it's not legally defined, is whatever the voter decides it is," Korda said.

Legally, city employees are free to support who they want and Rogero says there's no future conflict of interest.

"I am flattered that people who know me best, who have worked with me for four years, that some of them would be interested in investing in my campaign," said Rogero.

When it came to Padgett, we were curious about why a good number of contributors are from outside the Knoxville area, for example Nashville.

"I worked for (Gov. Phil) Bredesen in the Bredesen administration for about three years so those are friends and family who saw what I did," Padgett explained.

Both candidates know that more campaign money means more outreach so every dollar counts.

"We go to a lot of meetings. We make phone calls. So this race is getting out the vote. It's about reaching out to voters, sharing our message and getting them out on election day," Rogero said.

"We've raised money north, south, east and west from people of all walks of life. You know anyone who wants to contribute to my campaign, to invest in our message and our vision we have for Knoxville, we are flattered," Padgett said.

Korda says it's crucial for Padgett and Rogero to win support from the other former candidates and their supporters.