CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Election officials may expect low turnout in West Virginia’s primary race for governor, but the candidates have collected more than 8,700 contributions totaling nearly $4.5 million.

About half those came between March 26 and April 29, the final reporting period before Saturday’s vote. The $1.5 million contributed during that time increased overall fundraising in the race to $4.47 million.

The Democratic field attracted 90 percent of the funds. The candidates have loaned their own campaigns another $900,000, with Republican Bill Maloney accounting for $500,000 of that. Spending reached nearly $3.7 million in late April, leaving balances that ranged from $460,806 for acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to no cash on hand for fellow Democrat Arne Moltis.

A number of candidates have experience in state-level elected politics. Four are current or former statewide officeholders, including three of the six Democrats: Tomblin, Secretary of State Natalie Tennant and state Treasurer John Perdue. Former Secretary of State Betty Ireland is among the Republican hopefuls.

The Democratic field also has top leaders of the Legislature. Besides House Speaker Rick Thompson and acting Senate President Jeff Kessler, Tomblin is also the Senate’s elected president and so is acting as governor under the state constitution’s vacancy language.

By contrast, while six Democrats and eight Republicans also ran in 2004, just one was a state-level veteran: then-Secretary of State Joe Manchin, the eventual victor. Led by Manchin’s $2.6 million haul, those candidates gathered $3.5 million from individuals and political action committees before their primary.

This year’s crop seeks the 426 or so days that will remain in the term vacated by Manchin, now a U.S. senator. The seat is up again in 2012 for a full, four-year term.

West Virginia’s leading industries are among the special interests who gave. These contributions extend trends seen in the primary race’s initial reports.

At least $223,400 came from the energy sector, mostly coal-related but also natural gas and oil interests. Tomblin received three-fourths of that money, followed by Thompson at 8 percent and Maloney at 6 percent. These donors included 27 officials from Patriot Coal giving $19,000 and 17 from Alliance Coal contributing $17,000 — all to Tomblin.