City Council members looking to be the body’s next speaker pumped contributions into colleagues’ campaign accounts and into political committees outside their districts in the past six months.

An analysis of records from the city’s Campaign Finance Board shows that at least five of the council members who have expressed interest in succeeding the current speaker, Gifford Miller, are targeting their spending in ways that could win votes when members of the next council choose their leader.

Between July 14 and January 11, the last period for which the candidates had to file spending disclosures, they donated a total of $26,165 to council members running for re-election, to candidates running for open seats, and to political organizations that have historically had an influential role in the behind-the scenes deal-making that often dictates who the next speaker will be.

A Democrat who represents the Chelsea and Clinton neighborhoods, Christine Quinn, for example, gave $8,250, including $2,750 to Daniel Garodnick, one of the front-runners in the race to replace Eva Moskowitz, who is giving up her seat on the Upper East Side to run for Manhattan borough president.

Council Member Bill de Blasio of Brooklyn had a generous spending period, writing out $9,275 in checks. He doled out $4,000 for four of his colleagues’ re-election campaigns and $2,750 to Council Member David Yassky, who was considering a run for district attorney in Brooklyn but now is seeking re-election instead.

And a Queens Democrat, Melinda Katz, who contributed thousands of dollars to fellow council members in the previous reporting period, added $1,940 to their campaign coffers in the latest period.

In addition to what council members donate through their own committees, they also regularly raise money on behalf of others, and the amount they raise is not reflected in their own filings.

“The bottom line is, everyone who is a credible candidate for speaker is going to have to a lot of friends,” a political consultant, Evan Stavisky, said. “You want to have 26 more friends than anyone else. It’s going to be another 10 months before anything comes to fruition, but if you’re serious, you have to start early.” The 26 he mentioned is a majority of the 51-member body.

“Look at Gifford,” Mr. Stavisky continued, “he started running in 1997, almost as soon as he got elected. He spent four years making friends … and it came down to the final two weeks.” Mr. Miller, who also represents the Upper East Side, must leave the council because of term limits, and is running for the Democratic mayoral nomination.

The council members themselves acknowledge that they are interested in “taking on bigger leadership roles,” but they keep their responses guarded when asked for details about how they are going about winning over their colleagues.

With the vote for speaker not being held until after the November election, and with the political landscape marked by county alliances and divisions, all of the candidates have challenges to overcome. In the past, for example, Brooklyn has failed to unite behind one candidate and as a result has struggled to get the highest-ranking posts in the council, while Queens is known for delivering a bloc of support.

A former council speaker, Peter Vallone Sr., who won the job by a single vote when a colleague changed camps at the last minute, said yesterday that the candidates are doing what they need to do to secure support and build alliances.

In Queens, there are three council members interested in the job: Ms. Katz, David Weprin, and Leroy Comrie.

When asked whether Queens council members would push for one of their own or back another candidate as a way to keep the two powerful committee chairmanships the borough’s delegation has now, Mr. Vallone said anything could happen.

“It’s like playing chess,” he said. “Is one queen more valuable than two castles? You can get a debate on both sides.”

In talking about contributions they’ve made, both Ms. Katz and Ms. Quinn said they support candidates who do a good job in office and deserve support. They also sought to downplay their ambitions and focus on their work.

“Really, my priority now is my council district, my job, and my health committee. And there’s a lot going on my district,” Ms. Quinn said. Her district includes the proposed West Side stadium.

In addition to the money they are spending, the candidates are ramping up the number of appearances they are making at events outside their districts. On February 10, for example, all of the leading candidates for speaker, including Lewis Fidler of Brooklyn, appeared at the Queens County Democratic dinner.

Mr. Weprin, who donated $3,600 to colleagues between July and January, said he has given to council members who faced primaries and asked for his help. But he said it was still early, and the field for speaker would probably narrow by November.

“It’s kind of an insiders’ game,” he said. “It’s not the kind of thing that you can actively campaign for, but you can let people know of your interest.”