[img_assist|nid=427|title=U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Boston) campaigning in Framingham earlier this year|desc=Politicker Photo|link=none|align=left|width=406|height=317]U.S. Sen. John Kerry reported a war chest of over $5.3 million dollars at the end of the year's 3rd Quarter, a decrease of over $2 million from where he started the quarter, according to his Federal Election Commission report.

Half of that decrease, however, came from a $1 million contribution to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The Boston Democrat, who is currently seeking his fifth term in the U.S. Senate against Republican challenger Jeff Beatty, raked in nearly $131,000 for the quarter.  Between his contribution to the DSCC, another $10,500 given to the Massachusetts Democratic Party and several other large expenditures for his campaign, Kerry spent $2.3 million.

Kerry's campaign paid $188,000 to Kiley and Company, Tom Kiley's polling shop, for "research services," as well as nearly $500,000 to Shorr Johnson Magnus for the production of two television ads. He also paid Storefront, a San Francisco company, more than $130,000 for printing and mailing services and Sage Systems another $110,000 for other mailing services.

Kerry also refunded a handful of contributions. Most notably, he returned $1,000 worth of contributions to Boston Democratic strategist Philip Johnston, the former New England administrator of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Bill Clinton. He also refunded $4,600 to Martin Kaplan, the former Walter Mondale speechwriter and political columnist.

Kerry took in $51,500 in contributions from individuals during the quarter and another $79,500 from political PACs. Among those contributions, he received $5,000 from Microsoft's PAC, as well as Time Warner Cable and Honeywell International's PAC. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. PAC gave the Democrat $2,500 and the Pacific Life Insurance Company PAC contributed $3,000.

Kerry also received more than $37,000 from Names in the News, an Oakland based group that provides the management and acquisition of lists that can be used for fundraising and other targeting for nonprofit groups and progressive political issues, according to its website. ActBlue, the Democratic online fundraising organization, gave Kerry more than $11,000.