HARRISBURG — Candidates burned through millions in their campaigns for Pennsylvania's three independently elected row offices, yet the most striking detail in their finances may be what Auditor General Jack Wagner didn't spend.

Wagner ended the campaign cycle both victorious for a second term as the fiscal watchdog over state government and with $430,000 in the bank as he considers a run for governor in 2010.

If he runs, he may face a crowded field of candidates for the Democratic nomination — Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham are possibilities — vying for the same pool of big-money Democratic donors.

In a report submitted to the state late last week, Wagner spent just $42,000 after Oct. 20 as he whipped Republican Chet Beiler, 59 to 38 percent.

Wagner said he did not save it in anticipation of a gubernatorial bid and has no plans for it. Rather, he did not need to spend it against a relatively low-profile opponent after he raised as much as he could, he said.

"You try to be prepared for anything and everything," Wagner said. "We obviously thought that our marketing campaign was sufficient and there was very little negative campaigning done against me."

The other row-office candidate to win a second term is the state's top law enforcer, Attorney General Tom Corbett, who is a potential candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Neither Corbett nor Wagner have publicly declared whether they will run for governor, but both say they will reveal their decision in the coming months.

However, Corbett ended the campaign like most of the other row-office candidates — in debt — after spending five times as much as Wagner.

The manager of Corbett's campaign this year, Brian Nutt, said contributions for the 2010 gubernatorial campaign cycle will not begin until well after Jan. 1, giving Corbett time to rebuild his campaign account.

He said Corbett spent all his money to try to offset the unpredictable Democratic registration surge related to the presidential campaign.

"It wouldn't be a smart move for anything but to make sure that the resources that Tom Corbett had in this case were spent wisely," Nutt said. "You can make sure something's left over and it gives you seed money, but those types of contributions start taking place well after the first of the year."

In all of 2008, Corbett spent $4 million on his re-election, while Wagner spent less than $800,000.

In his new campaign finance report, Corbett said he spent $1.9 million — more than $1.5 million of that went to his media consultant — after Oct. 20 as he beat Democrat John Morganelli 52 to 46 percent.

He reported $77,000 left in the bank and a debt of $85,000 to the media consultant, Brabender Cox of Pittsburgh.

Corbett is facing the same pressure as Wagner to announce whether he will run for governor, though the Republican field is not as deep as the Democratic field.