Kathleen Kennedy Townsend paid her gubernatorial campaign staff almost twice as much in defeat as Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. did in victory, campaign finance records show.

Townsend, whose campaign was criticized by her political mentor as one of the worst in the country, paid more than $1.5 million in salaries and other compensation during her losing Democratic effort.

Ehrlich's main campaign committee paid its staff a little less than $800,000 to help him capture the State House for the GOP for the first time in 36 years. He indirectly paid out an additional $110,000 in salaries through a group called Democrats for Ehrlich, financed almost entirely out of his campaign treasury.

The disparity between salaries is just one of the contrasts to emerge in the post-election campaign finance reports filed this week. Records also show that the Ehrlich effort was more effective in fund raising and channeled a greater portion of its receipts into activities that communicated directly with potential supporters.

"We were frugal," said Paul Schurick, Ehrlich's spokesman. "That was our job from Day One. Everyone associated with the campaign knew we wanted to save as much as possible for as long as possible."

In the end, it might have been Townsend who waited too long to spend her money.

The reports show that Townsend spent $2 million on media in the last 2 1/2 weeks of the campaign - after many voters had apparently made up their minds on whom they were voting for. Ehrlich spent $1.5 million in the final weeks.

Before Oct. 21, he outspent Townsend $4.9 million to $2.7 million - much of it apparently to lock in attractive slots for TV ads in the final weeks. Ehrlich spent $6.4 million on media, mostly television advertising, and Townsend spent $4.7 million.

Schurick said the Ehrlich campaign paid for a lot of media in advance.

"You lock in the best time slots. You have a greater range of options, and we had the money to do it," Schurick said.

The finance reports also show that the lieutenant governor spent $565,709 on fund-raising events for her campaign, which took in $8.5 million. Ehrlich paid $450,685 for his fund-raisers in an effort that took in $10.4 million.

Peter Hamm, a spokesman for Townsend, dismissed questions about the campaign's cost structure with a barb at Ehrlich. "We weren't getting as good a deal on helicopters," he said - referring to a post-election controversy over Ehrlich's acceptance of discounted air transportation from a company associated with Sinclair Broadcasting Group.

"It's clear our opponent took advantage of every special relationship with every special interest he possibly could to keep costs down," Hamm said.

The spokesman defended the salaries paid by the Townsend campaign as a "judgment call."

The largest single salary Townsend paid - $152,431 - went to Angelique Cannon, who tended to Townsend's political affairs from March 2000 through the end of the campaign.

Schurick, Ehrlich's longtime chief political operative, received $69,314 from Ehrlich's state campaign committee since 1999. He has also received compensation from Ehrlich's congressional campaign fund.

James C. "Chip" DiPaula, who led Ehrlich's campaign, was paid $61,353 since March.

Alan H. Fleischmann, the much-criticized chief of the Townsend campaign, received $63,581 but had been on the payroll only since June.

It was Fleischmann, Townsend's close friend and longtime chief of staff, who is viewed by many as the target of a stinging criticism by Gov. Parris N. Glendening, who remarked on election night that the lieutenant governor had "one of the worst-run campaigns in the country."

Fleischmann, who is due back in the lieutenant governor's office next week, could not be reached yesterday to comment on the spending figures.

New details about the financing of the governor's race emerged from another post-election report, which includes donations given before Election Day but after the final disclosure.

Michael S. Steele, Ehrlich's running mate, reported that he received $16,000 in contributions from businesses controlled by Magna Entertainment Corp., the new owner of Pimlico and Laurel racetracks. The contributions were received Oct. 28, the same day Magna contributed $12,000 to Ehrlich, a proponent of slot machines at the tracks.

The Ehrlich campaign released the full report from his campaign committee Tuesday night but said the Steele report was unavailable. The Sun reported the $12,000 gift to Ehrlich yesterday.

The full Steele report became available only yesterday. Schurick said the timing of the release was unintentional.