On March 3, Texans will vote in 65 primary battles for the Texas House of Representatives — 29 Republican and 36 Democrat. The winners of those contests will advance to the general election in November.

This week Transparency Texas launched a new series covering some of the most hotly contested primary races. We’ll introduce you to the candidates, give you a clear breakdown of their money, and show you who’s ahead in the race to raise campaign cash.

Let's kick it off with three of the open seats up for grabs:

• the runaway Republican race
• the too-close-to-call Democrat contest
• the red/blue battle to replace Stickland