COLUMBIA - Labor Day weekend has arrived, and the race for South Carolina governor is about to get interesting.

Republican Gov. Mark Sanford is leading most polls and has plenty of campaign money, but even his supporters admit Aiken County Democrat Tommy Moore is a serious competitor.

"From now until Election Day, every time you turn on the TV, there's a good chance you'll see an ad from our campaign," Sanford spokesman Jason Miller said.

Mr. Moore, a state senator from Clearwater, has been off the airwaves for much of the summer, raising money to help close the enormous gap between the $149,000 his campaign held at the end of June and the nearly $4.3 million that was in Mr. Sanford's war chest.

With fewer than 70 days left before the Nov. 7 general election, the senator's campaign is ratcheting up, Moore spokeswoman Karen Gutmann says.

Money, though, is no guarantee of success. The losers of the 1998 and 2002 gubernatorial campaigns both spent more than their opponents, according to the South Carolina Ethics Commission.

"We know we can't outspend, but I believe after 28 years in the Senate, I've proven I can outwork anyone," Mr. Moore said. "I think the people in South Carolina are more interested in who can provide leadership, not who has the most money."

Mr. Sanford has the edge in the race, yet Mr. Moore is a strong contender, Winthrop University political science professor Scott Huffmon said.

On July 27, an independent Rasmussen Reports poll of 500 likely voters showed Mr. Sanford led Mr. Moore 47 percent to 38 percent, with a margin of error of 4.5 percent.

However, that lead had shrunk from a Rasmussen survey a month earlier, when Mr. Sanford led 51 percent to 39 percent.

Trailing far behind in fundraising in a state that leans red, Mr. Moore has to capitalize on any dissatisfaction with Mr. Sanford among independents and Republicans in order to reclaim the governor's chair for the Democrats, Mr. Huffmon said.

He said Mr. Moore can learn from former Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges' success in 1998, and his defeat four years later to Mr. Sanford.

In 1998, Mr. Hodges took advantage of South Carolinians' unhappiness with how the video-poker issue had been handled, Mr. Huffmon said. But in 2002, he underestimated Mr. Sanford's campaign skills and faced a stronger Republican Party.

"Where (Mr. Moore) has to be careful is not to underestimate Mr. Sanford as an opponent," Mr. Huffmon said. "That 'Aw, shucks,' demeanor (of Mr. Sanford's) hides a very smart guy and a very shrewd campaigner."

In 2002, Mr. Sanford captured 65 percent of the vote in Aiken County.

Democrats say Mr. Sanford has weaknesses. He has clashed with members of both parties, so much so that a member of his own party, Sen. Jake Knotts, of Lexington, contemplated mounting a challenge.

The governor's allies describe his willingness to confront the Legislature as a good thing.

"Some people wonder why he can't get along with the Senate or House," said Sen. Greg Ryberg, an Aiken Republican and a Sanford supporter. "I don't think that makes him wrong.

"I think we need four more years of Mark Sanford standing up to the Legislature."

Still, dragging pigs into the Statehouse to complain about pork-barrel spending and vetoing the entire state budget, as he did this year, has rubbed even some of his longtime supporters the wrong way.

"The governor has done a few things that are going to make this race a little closer than it should be," said Rep. Don Smith, R-North Augusta, who has stood by Mr. Sanford since he was elected.

There's even a group calling themselves Republicans for Tommy Moore. Cecil Atchley, a former GOP chairman in Aiken County, is a member.

"The idea is that we support Tommy Moore because of his ability to work with both sides of the aisle and work with different kinds of people," Mr. Atchley said. "It's not as much an anti-Mark Sanford type thing as much as it is a pro-Tommy Moore thing."

Mr. Huffmon said no statewide issue, such as video poker, has emerged as a lightning rod in this race so far. But local issues - such as Mr. Sanford's veto of a heart center for Lexington County, a Republican stronghold - could have a significant impact, he said.

"(Mr. Moore) could certainly get a lot of those swing, independent votes that are going to be so crucial on that issue in that area," he said.

And if Mr. Moore can swing a few more voters on a few more issues, he could win, Mr. Huffmon said.

The challenge for Mr. Moore, though, might be just getting his voice heard.

Mr. Moore said his campaign had a "fabulous" August in terms of fundraising, but he declined to say how much money his campaign has. The last campaign finance reports were filed in early July, and the next reports are not due until Oct. 10.

"(Money) is a vehicle for helping to get out that message (about) what a candidate's vision is," said Mr. Miller, Mr. Sanford's campaign spokesman.

"From the outset, our bank account was indicative of the widespread support Gov. Sanford has from South Carolinians," he said.

State Sen. Tommy Moore speaks with supporters after his campaign speech at Thursday's Aiken County Democratic Party meeting.