Democrats Widen Fundraising Lead for Senate Campaigns

Senate Democrats continued to dramatically outraise their Republican counterparts in the first three months of 2008, a differential almost certain to result in a huge spending disparity in competitive contests this fall.

From Jan. 1 to March 31, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee brought in nearly $17 million -- about $5 million more than the National Republican Senatorial Committee raised in the same time period. In March, the DSCC nearly doubled the take of its counterpart, bringing in $8.2 million to the GOP committee's $4.2 million.

Most troubling for Republican strategists is the growing chasm between the two committees' remaining war chests. The DSCC ended March with nearly $38 million in the bank, compared with $17.3 million for the Republican committee.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic committee and one of the most effective fundraisers in politics, has levered the majority he helped to build in 2006 to maximize the dollars collected to build on the gains of the last election. The DSCC is $4 million ahead of the pace it set in 2006 and has $5.6 million more in the bank that it did at this time last cycle.

"We are getting contributions from people who have never before given to us.," Schumer said. "We never anticipated the record we set last year could be equaled, but we're ahead of it because people around the country want change."

The Democrats' financial advantage will allow them to take advantage of a playing field already tilted in their favor. Republicans must defend 23 seats, compared with 12 for Democrats. The retirements of five Republican incumbents -- including those representing the swing states of Virginia, New Mexico and Colorado -- have further hamstrung the GOP's efforts to regain the majority in November.

The silver lining for Republicans? Several of their most endangered incumbents have well-stocked campaign accounts, which should help them lessen the financial blow almost certain to be lowered by national Democrats. Among the well-prepared: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine ($4.5 million on hand), Gordon Smith of Oregon ($5.1 million) and Norm Coleman of Minnesota ($6.9 million).

The Obama Team

Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) may still be mired in a protracted primary battle with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), but he continues to staff up in expectation of becoming the Democrats' nominee.

The latest hire is Jen O'Malley Dillon, a highly regarded operative who ran former senator John Edwards's 2008 Iowa caucuses campaign. (Edwards finished second in that race, well behind Obama but narrowly ahead of Clinton.) After Iowa, O'Malley Dillon moved to the national staff as Edwards's deputy campaign manager.

In her new position, O'Malley Dillon will work closely with longtime Obama senior adviser Steve Hildebrand, as well as national field director Jon Carson and national political director Matt Nugen. They will be part of a small group of senior strategists charged with overseeing Obama's state campaigns in the upcoming primaries -- with a special focus on Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Indiana -- as well as prepare for the possibility (many would say probability) of Obama's carrying the party's banner in the fall.

Of O'Malley Dillon, Hildebrand said: "She is one of the smartest, most strategic people in politics, and that's why I worked hard to recruit her into Barack's campaign." Hildebrand and O'Malley Dillon worked together on the South Dakota Senate campaigns of Tim Johnson and Thomas A. Daschle.

The hiring of O'Malley Dillon comes just after Obama bulked up his communications team by bringing on Hari Sevugan, who handled message for the presidential bid of Sen. Chris Dodd (Conn.), and longtime media consultant Anita Dunn as members of his strategy team.

The extended Democratic primary season virtually guarantees that there will be no downtime for Obama, should he claim the nomination. These recent hires speak to the need to bulk up on the fly in order to be ready for the general election.

PLAYERS

Elizabeth Wilner, NBC's former political director, is stepping back into the fray -- in a sense. Wilner has signed on as director of public affairs for the Peter G. Peterson Fund. Peterson, a billionaire investment banker, has designated $1 billion of his fortune to a foundation aimed at solving long-term problems in the country -- ranging from health care to curbing America's energy consumption. The foundation is focused on driving that message home to young people and to the business community. Wilner joins David Walker, a former U.S. comptroller general, who is serving as the foundation's CEO.

Seven days: The proposed Democratic debate in North Carolina remains in limbo, as Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) has yet to commit to it. And, after the mauling -- fair or unfair -- he took in the Philly debate last week, can you blame him?

159 days: For those Fixistas going through debate withdrawal, it's going to be a long, hot summer. The first presidential debate of the general election is scheduled for Sept. 26 at the University of Mississippi.