WASHINGTON -- Republican Sen. Susan Collins has $1.2 million on hand for next year's campaign, compared to $812,484 for her expected challenger, Democratic Rep. Tom Allen, according to their latest reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The figures -- in what is expected to be one of the most competitive races in the country -- represent a change from the year-end results, according to the reports that were due Sunday for the period from Jan. 1 through March 31.

Allen had held on to $501,849 from his sixth House campaign last year, giving him a narrow lead over Collins, who had $435,657 on hand at the end of the year.

But in the first three months of this year, Collins raised $836,675; Allen, $393,120.

Allen and Collins were each first elected to Congress in 1996. Allen has declared an interest in challenging Collins, but hasn't set a deadline for deciding.

Fundraising in both camps suggests they are each preparing for a significant battle.

In contrast, Democratic Rep. Mike Michaud, who faced little competition in his last campaign, has $56,896 on hand. He raised $53,376 during the first three months of the year and spent $30,505.

Another comparison is that during the first six months of 2001, in the off- year before Collins' last campaign, she raised $766,062 and had $852,520 on hand.

The Senate race is considered competitive nationally because Democrats have won the last two presidential and gubernatorial contests in Maine, and because the Iraq war is expected to hurt Republicans.

Collins won her last race with more than 58 percent of the vote and Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe won re-election in the fall with 74 percent of the vote.

Political advertising has already begun. The anti-war group Americans United for Change spent $100,000 earlier this month urging Collins to support a withdrawal deadline from Iraq, which the Collins campaign responded to with a relatively inexpensive Internet ad on YouTube.