State Republican activists who are trying to survive a parched season of fund raising have their eyes on one well of cash that’s hardly dry — the campaign account of Governor Pataki.

Called “Friends of Pataki,” the account was used to finance the gubernatorial campaigns of Mr. Pataki, who decided a year ago that he wouldn’t seek a fourth term as governor. Mr. Pataki has held on to most of the money that he has raised, preserving a nest egg of more than $2.3 million, not including the more than roughly $1.2 million he has raised for two political action committees that he’s using to build his national profile.

Although he’s not running for any state office, Mr. Pataki has more money in “Friends of Pataki” than any of the Republican statewide candidates, who trail their Democratic opponents in fund raising by wide margins, have in their own accounts. The July 15 campaign finance filings showed that even the man looking to succeed Mr. Pataki, John Faso, hadn’t come close to matching Mr. Pataki’s total, which surpassed Mr. Faso’s war chest by almost $1 million.

With less than 80 days to go before the November election, some Republicans are beseeching Mr. Pataki, like Oliver Twist holding up a soup bowl. They want Mr. Pataki to transfer his money to the state Republican Party, which can then disburse it to local and statewide candidates, like Mr. Faso, who is fighting an uphill battle against the Democratic front-runner, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

“We all feel the money should go back to the candidates,” the Republican chairwoman of Montgomery County, Lore Koppel, told The New York Sun. “It was given to him as a candidate and he should share it with the candidates now.”

She added: “The situation is pretty desperate. When you look at the millions that Spitzer has at his disposal, it’s pretty hopeless. Let’s be honest.”

Robert Smith, the Republican chairman of Onondaga County, who was one of the Republican leaders who spearheaded the effort to nominate Mr. Faso for governor, also called for the funds to be released. “I think given the size of the account, the governor should be sharing it with the state party,” he said. “He’s benefited from the party, so I think he should be helpful.”

Mr. Pataki has several options for spending his campaign account. He is permitted to transfer all of the funds to the Virginia “21st Century Freedom” PAC, which he used to finance his trips to New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina, where he is seeking to build his profile as he considers a run for the White House. He may not use his Virginia PAC, however, for federal campaign activities.

Under New York election law, Mr. Pataki may use “Friends of Pataki” for activities related to the holding of office, for funding political campaigns, or supporting political positions. He is forbidden to convert the money for personal use if it’s unrelated to those activities. He isn’t under an obligation to spend the money.

Last month, Mr. Pataki contributed from his account the maximums he could under state law, which is $33,900 each, to the campaigns of Mr. Faso, Jeanine Pirro, who is running for attorney general, and J. Christopher Callaghan, who is running for comptroller. A spokesman for the governor, David Catalfamo, said in an e-mail that Mr. Pataki “will continue to use Friends of Pataki to support those candidates and issues that are important to New Yorkers.”

He said Mr. Pataki would not make a decision about whether to transfer money to his Virginia account until after the November election.

The executive director of the state Republican Party, Ryan Moses, a former aide to Mr. Pataki, said he rejected the contention from county leaders that the governor has been stingy with his help. “Time and time again,” he said, “the governor has been the biggest supporter of the Republican state committee.” For example, he said, the party took in $700,000 from the annual South Street Seaport fundraiser, organized jointly by the state party and the governor. The party and the governor are sharing contributions from another fundraiser, the “Governor’s Day at the Races,” that is to be held tomorrow at Saratoga, Mr. Moses said.

Statewide candidates have yet to exert pressure on Mr. Pataki to share the wealth, at least publicly.Mr. Faso, who earlier this week said the state party suffered from a lack of leadership, said he didn’t think it was appropriate for him to ask the governor to share the money with the state party, saying, “That’s his decision to make.” He added: “I’d like to get all the support I can.”

Although acknowledging that his campaign was “pretty well under-funded,” the Republican candidate for comptroller, Mr. Callaghan, said Mr. Pataki has been “generous” to his campaign and would not “second guess someone who has been such a great leader for the state.” By the July 15 filing, Mr. Callaghan had on hand about $42,000, almost $6 million less than his Democratic opponent, state comptroller Alan Hevesi.

In interviews with the Sun, Republican county leaders described a depressed fundraising environment, saying they have been forced to dole out contributions like they were wartime food rations.County leaders say they are getting daily calls from candidates inviting them to fundraisers, many of which they turn down because money is tight.

George Williams, the Republican chairman of Oswego County, said candidates have been calling him repeatedly for financial support that he says has been exhausted. Money is so tight, he said, his county committee could afford to give state candidates only $1,000.

Mr. Pataki, he said, could help make the situation less dire. “I understand his ambition to run for president, but it was the voters of the state of New York who kept him in office for three terms,” he said. “It would be very nice of him to leave some of it for us.”