HAMILTON — Cha-ching!

        Cash, it turns out, was flowing as fast as political volleys were being fired in the bitter Butler County prosecutor's race, campaign finance reports filed Friday show.

        And one political observer thinks the race could be the costliest county-level contest in Butler's history.

        In their final monthlong push before the Nov. 7 general election, Republican Robin Piper and Democrat Dan Gattermeyer spent a total of $155,000 — far exceeding the combined expenses of nearly 20 other county-level candidates during the same period.

        Mr. Piper won the contest, although Mr. Gattermeyer outspent him by $56,000.

        Records show the race cost a total of at least $304,000 — in cash only, excluding in-kind contributions.

        “For a local race, I've never seen that amount of money spent,” said Joe Statzer, a Democrat-turned-Republican and former employee of the county's board of elections. “If you take out congressional and state races, I don't know of a race in this county that's gone over $200,000, let alone $300,000. At least I can't think of one.”

        The figures are especially remarkable, given that the face-off between Mr. Piper and Mr. Gattermeyer lasted just three months. Mr. Gattermeyer became a candidate in August, after he was appointed to replace the late John F. Holcomb.

        Mr. Statzer said it was easy to list several reasons why the race became so expensive:

        • Mr. Gattermeyer inherited the so-called “2 Percent Club” fund, containing at least $100,000 in contributions from prosecutor's office employees who donated to Mr. Holcomb. That meant Mr. Piper knew he had to raise lots of money.

        • It was a very high-profile race, with lots of community interest, leading both men to use extensive — and costly — TV ads.

        • Both political parties wanted the office, which had been controlled by Democrats since 1965.

        And perhaps most significantly, both men really wanted to win. Mr. Gattermeyer lent his fund $22,000; Mr. Piper, almost $37,000.

        “These two candidates meant business,” Mr. Statzer said. “They were serious about winning.”

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