One raised money on Capitol Hill. One tapped a nationwide network of conservative donors. Another reached deep into his own pocket.

Money already has become a flashpoint in the race among Republicans trying to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell in North Carolina's 8th Congressional District.

At least six Republicans are vying to challenge Kissell, one of their party's top half-dozen targets this year.

The district, redrawn by the GOP-controlled state legislature, stretches from Charlotte to Robeson County. It has fewer Democrats and African-Americans - and more Republicans - than it did when Kissell was elected. One Washington pundit has said he "would need a miracle" to hold the seat.

Kissell is a conservative Democrat. He voted against President Barack Obama's health care bill, against Nancy Pelosi for House speaker and for a GOP-led balanced budget amendment.

Among Kissell's would-be challengers, no one has raised more money than Vernon Robinson.

Robinson is an outspoken conservative who moved into the district last fall from Winston-Salem. He has a nationwide fundraising base built during earlier races in North Carolina's 5th District and, later, the 13th. Through December, he raised $329,000, according to new reports.

But because his money came through costly direct-mail solicitations, he has just $57,000 in the bank. That's less than two of his challengers.

By contrast, Richard Hudson, a former congressional staffer who also moved into the district last fall, had $238,000 on hand at the end of December after raising $260,000. Much of his money came from Capitol Hill Republicans and from lobbyists.

His donors include GOP 10th District Rep. Patrick McHenry, three South Carolina congressmen, leadership political action committees for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and other GOP leaders and former U.S. Sen. Jim Broyhill. At a Washington fundraiser, he also got money from lobbyists for companies such as Toyota and Exxon.

"It certainly separates me from the field because I'm the only Republican who has a broad fundraising base," said Hudson, a top aide to former 8th District Rep. Robin Hayes. "Once the primary is over, I have the ability to reload my camp account very quickly to compete with Kissell."

Robinson calls Hudson "a Washington insider."

"This is clearly a race between the Washington insider and a grassroots conservative," he said. "Richard has the advantage of being able to raise $100,000 in one night from 50 registered lobbyists. So his cost of raising money is much lower."

Dan Barry, the mayor pro tem of Weddington, tapped a network of friends and professional contacts to raise $126,000. He has nearly $79,000 on hand, more than all but Hudson.

"This is a two-man race with Vernon as the spoiler," he said. "And the two men are me and Richard."

Other candidates would disagree.

Iredell County dentist Scott Keadle raised $540,000 - but includes a $485,000 loan to himself. And he used that to repay himself $230,000 in loans from an earlier campaign.

"We're just getting started," said Keadle consultant Wesley Donehue. "Scott Keadle isn't a Washington insider, so he cannot pull in all that lobbyist money. But Scott does have more grassroots support."

Dr. John Whitley, a brain surgeon from Robeson County, reported raising $55,000 with the help of a $27,000 loan. He could not be reached.

State Rep. Fred Steen of Rowan County was the last to enter the race. He joined in December. By the end of the year, he'd raised just over $21,000. He said he raised almost $1,000 a day since his announcement. "I am proud that so many people of the 8th District chose to support our campaign right from the beginning," he said. For all the candidates together, most identified contributions came from North Carolina. The second most popular source: Washington, D.C.