MONTGOMERY — Alabama candidates for governor have lent their campaigns more than $5 million, an unprecedented amount fueled by restrictions on campaign donations and the determination of candidates to stand out in a crowded field.

Republican Tim James, a Greenville businessman, leads the lenders with $2 million of his own money pumped into his campaign.

Republican State Treasurer Kay Ivey is second at nearly $1.8 million, followed by Robert Bentley, a physician and Republican state representative, at $787,000. Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks comes in fourth with a $500,000 personal loan.

Republican Bill Johnson, a former state agency director, provided $40,000. Republican Bradley Byrne kicked in $24,000 to his campaign, and another Republican, former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, lent his campaign $4,000, according to campaign finance reports the candidates filed recently with the secretary of state.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Artur Davis did not report making a personal loan to his campaign.

In addition to filing campaign finance reports, candidates for governor had to file personal financial statements with the State Ethics Commission last year showing their income and assets in broad ranges.

James' statement indicates he has the money to drive his campaign.

He reported owning real estate worth more than $1.5 million and having an annual income exceeding $360,000. The ethics law does not require exact amounts — only broad ranges.

Ivey reported that in addition to her $79,579 state salary, she received more than $100,000 from leases and investments and owns land valued at more than $250,000.

Bentley reported he received between $50,000 and $150,000 in rental and farm income. The ethics law did not require him to report an amount from his medical practice, other than it exceeded $10,000.

Sparks reported little income beyond his $79,026 state salary.

David Lanoue, chairman of the political science department at the University of Alabama, said candidates in a crowded field want to show their campaign chests have plenty of money, and one way to do that is to put in personal funds to boost the bottom line.

"This has an arms race aspect to it," he said.

Also, he said the Republican side of the ticket is so crowded that "a lot of people are sitting on their wallets to see who emerges." That means the GOP candidates have to pick up the slack, and putting in their own money shows their commitment to the race, he said.

James said he lent money to his campaign because he was a political outsider who needed to start campaigning early. He hit the campaign trail a year before state law allowed candidates to start raising money in June 2009.

That restriction on fundraising "is nothing but an incumbent protection act," he said. "It shuts out other people who can't afford to do what I can do."

Ivey said her loans allowed her to make a quick start and demonstrated independence from the traditional power structure that finances campaigns.

"I have a clear conscience knowing I am only indebted to myself, and am not beholden to the political special interests that have always called the shots in Montgomery," she said.

A year from now Alabama will have a new governor and candidates will have filed a final financial report. Those reports will show whether the candidates received enough contributions before the general election Nov. 2 to pay off their loans.

Lanoue said the candidates who finish near the bottom in the vote tally are less likely to get enough donations to cover the loans.

"The first lesson of campaigns is don't loan it if you can't lose it," he said.