Bill White is a serious challenge for Republicans...

The fund raising totals are out, and Bill White is the king of all parties on the Senate side of the ledger (link). Excerpt follows...

WASHINGTON — Houston Mayor Bill White raised more than twice as much money as Democratic Senate rival John Sharp in the latest three months of their drive to succeed Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Dallas, Federal Election Commission records showed Friday.

White's take of $1.5 million over the 90-day period ending Oct. 1 — including his personal donation of $414,398 — helped push the two-term mayor's accumulated Senate campaign fundraising to more than $6 million. White garnered donations from nearly 2,000 new, first-time contributors, said campaign spokeswoman Katy Bacon.

Sharp raised $615,110 during the same period, pushing his total to $3.8 million.

Both Sharp and White have buoyed their coffers with personal donations or loans, with White's campaign reports showing $1.4 million in personal donations and Sharp reporting at least $2.6 million in personal loans.

The Democratic rivals' combined fundraising of nearly $10 million in their looming showdown far outpaced the total amount raised so far by four major Republican candidates who also are vying to succeed Hutchison.

Hutchison, a four-term senator, has announced plans to leave the Senate this year to run for governor of Texas.

Republican Florence Shapiro, a member of the Texas' Senate known as an advocate of education reform, led GOP rivals in fundraising over the latest three-month period by raising $354,000. That pushed her campaign total over the $1 million mark, with the help of a total of $110,000 in personal loans to her political operation.

Republican Roger Williams, a former Texas' secretary of state, reported raising $335,881 in donations over the same period, pushing his total to $1.3 million, including loans of at least $150,000 from the candidate.

Railroad Commissioner Michael Lawrence Williams reported raising $141,819 to push his total to $473,668. Williams also reported a personal loan to his campaign of $50,000, bringing his total personal loans to $150,000.

Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames said her latest finance report would show she raised $208,000 for the latest three-month period, bringing her fund raising total to $770,000.

Some of these numbers are actually somewhat disappointing. Republicans are going to have to settle behind a candidate, because none of those totals will measure up to Bill White's total. That guy looks stout.

The Prairie Pundit blogs what needs to be said (link). Excerpt follows...

The story gives the Republican totals and they are surprisingly small in comparison. Perhaps the Governor's race is sucking up most of the donations. To stay competitive the Republican candidates will have to do much better.

Bill White was the first to claim that Kay had told him when she was going to resign, but I am just wondering if she is still going to do that this year... or maybe wait until early next year?

Either way Republicans are vulnerable if Kay resigns. I still think one of them could emerge and defeat Bill White easily if people really get behind the GOP nominee, but right now it makes me nervous.