Democrats are looking to take advantage of an open Senate seat in Texas with the likely departure of Kay Bailey Hutchison as she gears up to run for Governor. Fundraising numbers came out this week, and the results may be a cause for concern among the Texas GOP. Bill White, the Mayor of Houston has raised more than $2.1 million at the end of the first quarter. The other heavyweight Democrat in the field is longtime Texas politician John Sharp, who also has $2.4 million in the bank, although $2 million of that is a loan from his personal funds.

Bill White should be a particular concern for Republicans in what has been a reliably red state for a while. White is a popular mayor from the nation’s fourth largest city, and Democrats have made some serious gains in the Lonestar state’s urban areas over the past several election cycles. The city of Dallas has swung blue in recent elections, pushing out many longtime GOP judges (who are elected in Texas) as well as county and city officials. Democrats also have made gains in the Houston area, and are strong in the Rio Grande Valley where Texas has it’s highest numbers of Hispanic voters.

A well funded candidate like White, or Sharp, with some national attention from the DNC, DSCC, MoveOn, and other liberal interest groups could make a 2010 special election a real hassle for the GOP. It would undoubtedly make it a mightily expensive campaign in a state with a lot ground, and a lot of media markets to be covered.

Much of the Democrats hopes, of course, rest upon the fate of the current seat holder, Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison. It’s no secret that the Texas Senator has a desire to move in to the Governor’s Mansion in Austin, and may challenge sitting GOP Governor Rick Perry in the March 2010 primary to get there. With the recent switch of Arlen Specter to the Democrats and the likely seating of Al Franken, Hutchison’s departure wouldn’t make a difference in the 40 vote calculation in the Senate, unless of course, the seat flips parties in an election to replace her.

The bevy of GOP candidates lined up to replace Hutchison in the Senate have little money to show for their efforts so far. Of the four major candidates declared in the race former Secretary of State, and long time behind the scenes GOP operative, Roger Williams has the most cash, $388,000. Florence Shapiro, a State Senator from the Dallas-Fort Worth region and the presumed favorite of the possibly outgoing Kay Bailey Hutchison, is next in line with just over $310,000. Current Railroad Commissioners Elizabeth Ames Jones and Michael Williams pull up the rear each with more than $100,000 raised.

All together the Republican candidates still have over $1 million less then the closest Democrat. This may be a symptom of two separate factors. One, some donors in Texas are staying on the sidelines, waiting to see if Hutchison really runs for Governor. She’s gotten this far before with hints, exploratory committees and press attacks, then decided not to pull the trigger.

Another factor at play is the rampant speculation that all the Republican heavyweights who are going to be in this race have yet to throw their hat into the ring. Speculation focuses primarily on Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, whose vast personal wealth could give him a big advantage come election time. The Lt. Governor has long ben rumored to desire a move up the electoral ladder, but does not seem poised to jump into what already seems a crowded primary for Governor. Instead, many think he may jump into the Senate race.

Once Senator Hutchison has fully committed to the Governor’s race, look for that to happen sometime shortly after the Franken seating, and once the rest of the field shakes out after the end of the Texas Legislative session in June, this race will begin to heat up. At that point though, Democrats may have a keen advantage in funds and momentum that will make this race a headache for the GOP in Texas and Washington. Fellow Texas Senator John Cornyn may be forced to divert some NRSC funds he had lined up for other Senate races back to Texas to defend a seat that the Democrats would love to usurp in the home of former President George W Bush.