In recent months, Supervisor Jane Kim has questioned the city’s spending on Super Bowl 50, while her opponent, Supervisor Scott Wiener, supported the football extravaganza. Kim condemned the mayor’s sweep of homeless tent camps on Division Street while Wiener said the city should enforce its ban on camping. Kim has backed limits on corporate shuttle buses while Wiener believes they’re key to keeping cars off the road.

The two are competing for the seat now held by Sen. Mark Leno — it includes San Francisco and northern San Mateo County. The only name-brand candidates in the race, both are expected to reach the November general election under California’s top-two primary system. Whoever wins in November could hold the seat in Sacramento for as many as 12 years.

At this point, Wiener has the financial edge and important endorsements, including those of the state Democratic Party and Leno, who is termed out.

Wiener has raised more than $1.3 million to Kim’s $499,528, according to the latest campaign finance reports from the secretary of state’s office. More than 75 percent of his donors reside within the Senate district, while Kim’s number is closer to 70 percent. Wiener has raised more than $91,000 from attorneys and more than $80,000 from real estate interests. Kim has raised more than $90,000 from contributors in New York, where she grew up, and $35,945 from lawyers. Another chunk of money came from employees within the San Francisco Unified School District. Wiener has rejected voluntary spending limits, while Kim has not.

The candidates — both elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2010 — are more evenly matched in other ways. Both are well-educated, and both have proposed far-reaching legislation in recent months.

Kim, who just released a promotional video of her practicing tae kwon do, is marketing herself as a fighter for middle- and low-income residents. Born in Manhattan, she was raised by South Korean immigrants and later moved to the Bay Area to study at Stanford and the UC Berkeley School of Law. She served on the San Francisco Board of Education and now represents District Six, which includes South of Market and the Tenderloin, neighborhoods that are changing because of development.

State level seen as key

In her view, because Washington. D.C., is in political gridlock, state legislatures are becoming more important. Sacramento has become the battleground for issues like universal health care coverage and the affordability of higher education, she said.

“It’s in Sacramento that these really important issues are getting worked on and solutions are crafted and passed,” Kim said. “The top issue today is affordability, and that has been my life work. There is a lot of anxiety and fear over who gets to live in San Francisco and who this government represents and prioritizes. Are we bending over backwards for the Super Bowl or for our residents? We are battling over who this city is for.”

Wiener is billing himself as an effective leader who can work across the aisle on regional issues like expanding public transportation, increasing below market-rate housing units and protecting the environment. Born in Philadelphia, he was raised by small-business owners and studied at Duke and Harvard Law School.

As a gay man, he has championed HIV prevention and worked as an activist in the LGBT community. He moved to San Francisco to work as a litigation attorney, later was chairman of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee and now represents District Eight, which includes the Castro, Upper Market, Duboce Triangle and Noe Valley.

“We have only one chance to get it right,” Wiener said. “If we want to create an urban transportation agenda and make sure everyone has access to health care, we want to send the right person (to Sacramento) to make it happen. It’s the state Legislature that can move mountains.”

Initiatives on board

In recent months, both candidates have rolled out major liberal legislative initiatives at the Board of Supervisors. Wiener introduced paid parental leave legislation, which passed, and Kim wants City College to be free for San Francisco residents. She also introduced a ballot measure mandating 25 percent affordable housing in new development projects. Wiener wants to require solar panels on all new residential and commercial buildings in the city.

“There is no question that Supervisor Wiener has in recent months championed more progressive legislation as the election nears,” said Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who has endorsed Kim. “It’s not dissimilar from how Hillary Clinton has become more progressive in having to deal with Bernie Sanders.”

Supervisor Mark Farrell, who has worked with both candidates and endorsed Wiener, said the outcome of the race could affect San Francisco at both the state level and the city level. Depending on who wins, Mayor Ed Lee will appoint someone to fill the vacancy at the Board of Supervisors.

“What happens in our state government has a significant effect on our city,” Farrell said. “The ability to push larger initiatives is huge, and from my perspective, having an effective, experienced leader in Sacramento who has already dealt with these issues, like Scott, is critically important. Having two colleagues run against each other always creates an interesting dynamic at the Board of Supervisors.”

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn