COLUMBIA, S.C. - The state's top Senate races are coming with a huge price tag.

With two weeks of heavy campaigning remaining, candidates in the most watched races filed reports with the Senate Ethics Committee earlier this week showing they spent almost $2 million through Oct. 13.

Voters will decide who wins the Legislature's 170 seats - 46 in the Senate and 124 in the House - on Nov. 2.

Most incumbent legislators are running without opposition or with long-shot opponents.

But in the Senate, a dozen races have brought out fierce spending and campaigning as retirements and primary upsets for incumbents put more races in doubt. Republicans targeted a handful of Democratic leaders for defeat and Democrats took aim at two former members who switched to the GOP.

The race to replace retiring Sen. Warren Giese, R-Columbia, is by far the most expensive Statehouse race this year. Republican Ken Wingate, a Columbia lawyer and close ally of Gov. Mark Sanford, has spent $422,616 in his bid. His rival, state Rep. Joel Lourie, has spent $261,039.

"I think we always expected that this would be an expensive race," Lourie said

Much of the money lately has gone into harsh television advertisements.

Lourie says about half his spending has been on television. Lately, he has taken to the air to defend his spending priorities on public education while questioning Wingate's support for school vouchers that could be used at private, religious schools.

Wingate entered the last month of the contest with $14,026 in cash on hand. Lourie had $80,521.

In the Pee Dee, Senate Majority Leader Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, has spent $275,701 to keep the seat he first won in 1980. His opponent, Florence lawyer Steven Wukela has spent $117,879 in the race.

"We've got to develop a better system of financing elections," Wukela said. Still, he thinks a rising tide of anti-incumbent sentiment and questioning Leatherman's support of schools will help unseat one of the Senate's most powerful men.

Leatherman's leadership position makes him a prime target for challengers. But that role and his job as chairman of the Senate's budget-writing committee also make it easier for him to raise cash for his campaign.

In Charleston, former state Rep. Chip Campsen has spent $293,040 - most of that in a successful effort to beat Sen. John Kuhn in the GOP primary. He has raised $136,367 since the primary and has $46,862 on hand. He faces Constance Anastopoulo, a Charleston lawyer who has raised $49,252.71 and has $50 on hand.

Republicans would like to wrest seats from at least two key Democrats:

_ Clearwater Sen. Tommy Moore is sometimes mentioned as a likely contender for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2006. While known as one of the Senate's best dealmakers, Moore also has a knack for keeping Republican agenda items bottled up. Moore has spent $78,215 in his race and has $92,885 on hand. The Senate Ethics Committee says Bernie Hamby, Moore's opponent, had not filed a report by Wednesday afternoon.

_ Sen. Phil Leventis of Sumter is also in a tough fight. On the last day of the session, Leventis filibustered against Sanford's nominee for chairman of the state Workers' Compensation Commission and drew criticism from Republicans who wanted to get work done on other legislation. Leventis has spent $83,145 and has $11,470 on hand. His opponent, Republican Dickie Jones, has spent $77,060 and has $110,198.

Democrats had promised tough fights for two party-switchers. But that's not showing up in the race to raise money to conduct campaigns:

_ Sen. Luke Rankin, a Myrtle Beach lawyer who switched to the GOP this spring, has spent $20,433 and has $109,683 on hand for the final weeks of the campaign. His opponent, Democrat Jara C. Uzenda, has spent $3,760 and has $2,622 on hand.

_ Sen. Billy O'Dell of Ware Shoals switched parties a year ago. The owner of O'Dell Mop Co. has spent $20,603 and has $39,162 on hand. The Senate Ethics Committee says Jay West, O'Dell's opponent, had not filed a report by Wednesday afternoon.