Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams looking to auditor general race in 2012.

State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, fresh off a losing run for the governor's office, said Thursday night he has set his sights on another statewide race: auditor general, in 2012.

Williams said he wants to run for that job to help Pennsylvanians make better choices about how their money is spent.

He also promised to file his overdue campaign-finance report Friday. That report was due June 17.

Previous reports from his campaign fund and political action committees that backed him show that he raised and spent more than $5 million on his third-place finish in the four-way Democratic primary race.

Despite the surfeit of cash, Williams, whose district is in West Philadelphia, finished with 185,784 votes in the May 18 primary, far behind winner Dan Onorato of Allegheny County, who snagged 463,575. The current auditor general, Jack Wagner, finished second; Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel finished fourth.

The lateness of Williams' finance report could result in a fine - but a small one. "A 'late' letter will be sent tomorrow indicating a fine of at least $100," Charles Young, spokesman for the Department of State, said Thursday by e-mail.

Williams said he was filing the report late to ensure that it was correct. He entered the race late and had to work fast, he said.

"It was a 13-week campaign. There were receipts flying everywhere," he said Thursday night just before a speech thanking his supporters at the National Constitution Center. "We wanted to make sure it was accurate."

Williams also cleared the air about a question that had cropped up in political circles: He will not be running for mayor of Philadelphia. With Mayor Nutter looking on, Williams praised him for managing the city during tough economic times.

"One of the things I want to do tonight is put to bed any potential rumor," Williams said. "This man is my friend. This man endorsed me."

Williams said he would campaign hard for Nutter's reelection next year.

"We're not just going to ask you to vote for him. We're coming to pull you out of the house to vote for him," Williams said of the mayor.

Williams said he did not know yet whether the three Bala Cynwyd businessmen who had poured millions into his campaign for governor would back him in the race for auditor general.

"I will be a Democrat that says yes, I want to provide programs, but they have to be cost-effective," he said. He reiterated his support for lower taxes and for school choice, the issue that won him the three businessmen's financial backing in the primary.

Williams, 53, heads one of two organizations of African American ward leaders. His father, State Sen. Hardy Williams, who died this year, was a pioneering black political figure in Philadelphia.

The current auditor general, Wagner, could not be reached for comment last night on Williams' vow to seek the post in 2012.

During his campaign for governor, Williams said Thursday night, he realized upstate voters share many problems with those in cities.

"There are two Pennsylvanias," he said. "There are those who have a lot and those who are scared to death that what they have will no longer be theirs."