Their records are crucial to winning over voters, but candidates have to have money to make sure their message is reaching those voters.

The latest campaign finance reports were due Friday.

Gov. Bev Perdue, who is no longer in the race for a second term, has more than $2 million in her campaign war chest.

Former Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory’s information had not been posted online Friday afternoon, but he said during a conversation he had raised a similar amount of campaign capital.

Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, who announced he was running for Perdue’s open seat, had $356,000 left over from his mayoral race.

Congressman Brad Miller had $187,000 in his federal war chest about four months ago.

And it appears that Erskine Bowles, who has also been quiet on his plans for 2012, does not have a campaign fund set up yet.

Davidson College professor Susan Roberts said any Democrat thinking about a run is well aware of the financial hill he or she has to climb to catch up to McCrory.

“Money’s a factor. Endorsements and the primary – you’ve got several months before the primary, a very short window to raise a lot of money,” she said.

Perdue has the ability to forward her war chest to the state Democratic Party, if she chooses to.