HARRISBURG (AP) - Political contributions to the 12 candidates for three open seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court are approaching the $5 million mark.

Campaign finance reports filed Friday showed Democrats outraised Republicans by a lopsided margin through the end of the reporting period Monday.At least four Democratic candidates said they are already have bought expensive TV time to air ads leading up to the May 19 primary election. It's a sign of the heavy spending that's expected in the crowded race.The candidates are Philadelphia Judge Kevin Dougherty, Superior Court judges David Wecht and Anne Lazarus and Jefferson County Judge John Foradora.Dougherty remained the top fundraiser, reporting more than a half-million dollars to push his total to $1.2 million. But he reported spending most of that in the past five weeks.Wecht was second in fundraising, with more than $850,000.Superior Court Judge Christine Donohue reported Friday that she raised $132,000, largely from lawyers. That pushes her total contributions to nearly $340,000 as of the Sunday closeout of the reports.Among the Republican hopefuls, Superior Court Judge Cheryl Allen's contributions nudged her fundraising total to $35,000. The latest report included $10,000 from a political committee called Fairness PA.Montour County District Attorney Rebecca Warren reporting giving her campaign $6,000 of her own money.No updated report was available for Adams County Judge Mike George, the top GOP fundraiser.