Nearly two dozen House incumbents were outraised by their opponents and another dozen candidates established themselves as early front-runners for open seats late last week as fourth-quarter financial reports were released.

Among the members on the short end of the fundraising battle in October, November and December were Republican Reps. Don Young (Alaska), Sam Graves (Mo.) and Dave Reichert (Wash.), as well as four vulnerable Democratic freshmen.

Some GOP challengers sent messages with their reports, though, and Democratic freshman Reps. Carol Shea-Porter (N.H.), Chris Carney (Pa.), Nick Lampson (Texas) and Steve Kagen (Wis.) all saw their fundraising fall behind the paces of their likely foes.

All of the freshmen maintained cash-on-hand advantages, but some of them saw those edges reduced for the first time.

Four of Lampson’s prospective GOP opponents raised more than his $120,000 — former Rep. Shelley Sekula Gibbs, former Senate aide Pete Olson, former Pasadena Mayor John Manlove and state Rep. Robert Talton.

Lampson’s seat is one of the most imperiled in the country. He raised one of the largest sums of any challenger in the 2006 cycle, more than $3.5 million.

Carney was outraised $390,000 to $230,000 by one of his potential GOP opponents, businessman Dan Meuser, who loaned himself another $290,000.

Meuser also overtook his primary opponent, businessman Chris Hackett, who raised just $70,000 and loaned $150,000. Both have about $400,000 cash on hand to Carney’s $760,000.

Republican John Gard narrowly edged Kagen, while former Rep. Jeb Bradley (R) topped Shea-Porter.

“After finishing last year on a high note with two special election wins, Republicans are growing increasingly energized,” said Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “With the election year upon us, we are confident that this committee and our candidates will continue to prove that we will have the necessary resources to compete and win in the fall.”

But while a few GOP challengers asserted themselves in top-targeted races, several Republican incumbents fell behind in fundraising and even cash on hand.

Young raised just $40,000 and spent more than $400,000 in the quarter on legal fees (he is under federal investigation for his ties to the Veco Corporation), while Democrat Ethan Berkowitz raised $120,000. The Hill reported last week that Young recently opened a legal defense fund.

The longtime congressman still has almost $1 million in cash, but it is dissipating fast due to more than $800,000 in legal fees in 2007.

Former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes (D) raised $340,000 to Graves’s $200,000, and she is close to matching his $870,000 war chest as well. Democrat Darcy Burner, meanwhile, led Reichert in both fundraising and cash, with $610,000 on hand to Reichert’s $460,000.