The Capital Gang

The six Texas congressional candidates who ended the year with $1 million or more on hand are incumbents. Only two of the candidates with the 20 biggest bank accounts are not.

According to the year-end reports filed by candidates with the Federal Election Commision, Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, sat atop the heap, with $3.1 million. Ron Paul, R-Surfside, had $1.9 million, followed by Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas, $1.9 million; Joe Barton, R-Ennis, $1.8 million; Chet Edwards, D-Waco, $1.3 million; and Pete Sessions, R-Dallas, $1.1 million. 

Of that group, only Edwards is expected to face serious opposition. In fact, one of the Republicans who wants a crack at him — Bill Flores — had $369,683 at year end, including $250,000 in borrowed money. He was one of two non-members in the top 20. The other, Jack McDonald of Austin, decided in December to drop his challenge to U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, and to send the money back to his donors. That effort is just underway; McDonald had $860,888 in the bank at the end of 2009.

Our rundown of money in the hands of U.S. House members from Texas includes contributions, loans and spending for all of 2009. It's all in a sortable chart with links to the individual reports. 

A half dozen spent at least $500,000 last year: Barton, Paul, Sessions, McCaul; Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land; and Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth.

Four raised (including loans) more than a million bucks: Edwards, $1.4 million; McCaul, $1.4 million; Barton, $1.2 million; and McDonald, $1.1 million (a number that tells you why it was such a political surprise when he thought better of running). A dozen raised less than $1 million, but more than $500,000.

The most expensive race on the state's congressional map? The McBucks winner was going to be McCaul-McDonald, but that's off. Looks like the big money at this point is in Central Texas, where Edwards will face the winner of a five-way Republican primary. Together, those five raised $797,719; the winner will face Edwards, who raised nearly twice that amount, in November.

Our chart includes all of the candidates listed as active by the FEC who had numbers to report (some reported zeroes, and we left them out). If you click on a candidate's name, you'll get details of the totals shown on the chart; click on "reports" to go to a candidate's full set of reports on the FEC's website. (We'll add the individual donations behind these totals to our searchable FEC data apps next week).