Money, money, money, money...Every candidate wants it; every pundit handicaps based on it; and every consultant demands it. Like a loan from a bank, those who least need it can get it; those who most need it do not.

And so, candidates for federal office posted their campaign disclosure reports with the FEC for the 2004 election cycle. Officeholders posted sizable war chests in their bids for reelection or for higher office. Challengers in competitive primaries and general election races showed surprising strength. Long shots lagged far behind. While none of the candidates show the dominance that Roy Barnes did in 2002, all hope to avoid his political fortune on Election Day. And so, here is a thumbnail sketch of the millions raised already for the 2004 elections.

Top billing goes to the Senate race to replace retiring Senior Senator Zell Miller. So far, the race appears lopsided with Sixth District Congressman Johnny Isakson holding a commanding lead. Isakson has over $2.6 million on hand. His principal challenger, Eighth District Congressman Mac Collins, reported a war chest of just over $400,000. Business executive Herman Cain, who has yet to kick in his fundraising effort into gear, weighed in at below $80,000. Of course, these are all Republican candidates vying for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

Democrats have yet to show up. The only announced Democratic candidate, Georgia Senator Mary Hodges Squires (D-Norcross), has yet to file a report. Rumors continue about a possible run by former Atlanta Mayor and United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young. With his name recognition, contacts with the Democratic Party, and connections ith major Democratic donors, fundraising would not be problem for Ambassador Young.

By far the most competitive Congressional race is expected to be the challenge to Twelfth District Freshman Republican incumbent Congressman Max Burns. Already, the Vice President, the Speaker, and virtually all of the Republican leadership have headlined high priced fundraisers for Burns. The steady stream of political heavyweights has translated into a sizable $300,000+ campaign fund. In a clear signal that Democrats intend to contest the Democratic-leaning Twelfth Congressional District, Athens-Clarke County Commissioner John Barrow has raised almost $250,000 in contributions. In the end, the difference will undoubtedly be the President, who can dwarf all the money raised in the race with a single visit.

Next, the Third Congressional District is shaping up to be equally competitive but with the roles reversed. Instead of a Republican incumbent as in the Twelfth, freshman Democratic Congressman Jim Marshall of Macon appears to head for a tough rematch with 2002 challenger Calder Clay. Although Marshall has permitted rumors to circulate of a possible United States Senate bid, his fundraising fails to even meet the expectations of an incumbent Congressman. Marshall, who won by less than 2,000 votes in 2002, heads into a Presidential election cycle with just over $191,000 on hand. His opponent, without the benefit of a Presidential visit, has approximately $109,000 on hand. Democrat Party leaders can not be happy.

After that, it is all about primaries – Republican primaries in the Sixth and Eighth Congressional Districts; a potential Democratic primary in the Fourth Congressional District. But that is a story for another day.