North Dakota's contests for treasurer, auditor and agriculture commissioner are getting last-minute infusions of campaign money, as Republicans and Democrats both focus on the races they believe are closest.

"I think my prospects are very good," said Democrat Brent Edison, who is challenging incumbent GOP state auditor Robert R. Peterson's bid for a third term. "I think that money has been put into this race because we can win."

Two Republican incumbents, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and Insurance Commissioner Jim Poolman, have handed over $18,000 worth of television advertising time during the campaign's last weekend to Doug Goehring, the GOP candidate for agriculture commissioner, and treasurer hopeful Kelly Schmidt.

GOP Gov. John Hoeven has donated $3,500 from his own campaign fund to Goehring and $1,500 to Schmidt this week alone, disclosure reports show. Hoeven gave another $2,000 to Schmidt's race earlier this month.

Democrats are spending more. Edison and Democratic treasurer candidate Dean Meyer have both received $40,000 in recent days from the state Democratic Party. For Meyer, the sum includes $15,000 worth of advertising.

Another Democrat, incumbent Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, has gotten $25,000 from the state party in the past week, along with separate $5,000 donations from DAKPAC, U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad's political action committee, and the Teamsters union PAC.

Edison has raised almost $75,000 this year, but Peterson said he was not worried about being financially outgunned. His most recent disclosure filing indicates he had about $13,000 to spend this year on his re-election, which has gone for yard signs, brochures and about a week of radio advertising.

"Right now, I think most of the voters have made up their minds," Peterson said. "I think if you come in with a lot of money in the last week, you're bombarding people with a lot of information that they really don't want."

Since Oct. 13, candidates have had to report any campaign donations of more than $500, within 48 hours of receiving it. The late reports are a strong indicator of which races the two parties believe are competitive in the campaign's home stretch.

Johnson's first race against Republican Dina Butcher needed a recount. However, his 2000 campaign against Republican Clare Carlson was uneventful, with Johnson getting 55 percent of the vote.

Johnson said his late contributions were being plowed into his television and radio advertising. "I think you always run like every race is close," he said.