DSCC

Both the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee have been big spenders in Oregon this election cycle, according to campaign finance numbers released by the Federal Elections Commission Wednesday.

WASHINGTON - Four years after the GOP successfully sunk the Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate, Democrats are giving Republicans the reverse treatment by going after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

For the last three weeks, national Democrats have barraged Kentucky media markets with television advertisements slamming McConnell (R-Louisville). The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's newest TV ad, out this week, shows McConnell as a delivery truck driver while a narrator says the Republican "backed George Bush's crazy spending and delivered a $10 trillion debt."

In a press conference today, DSCC Chairman Chuck Schumer was repeatedly pressed on whether the decision to target the opposing party's leader was proper. He responded that after Republicans succeeded in targeting then-party leader Tom Daschle in 2004, Democrats had a free hand to go after McConnell.

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Louisville) is shown as a delivery truck driver in the latest television spot from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, though the spot asserts the Republican "delivers for everyone but Kentucky."

Mostly animated, the ad puts a photo of McConnell atop of the body of a truck drive. The ad questions the assertion that he "delivers" for Kentucky.

A narrator says McConnell "backed George Bush's crazy spending and delivered a $10 trillion debt."

The ad also targets McConnell's vote for the recent $700 billion financial rescue package, arguing he "delivered a huge bailout to Wall Street."

"And McConnell gave tax breaks to companies that deliver American jobs to China," concludes the narrator.

John Ensign

WASHINGTON - National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Ensign's desperate pleas to his colleagues for campaign cash have largely fallen on deaf ears.

With a week to go until Election Day, Ensign has collected contributions to the NRSC from only a handful of members, according to an internal committee count. The lack of giving left the NRSC $9 million short of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The uneven financial playing field comes as a handful of Senate seats hang in the balance. Public polling shows races in Oregon, North Carolina, Minnesota, Georgia, Kentucky, and Mississippi as tight. Should Democrats gain 9 seats on Election Day they will have the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster.

In a sign national Democrats are confident about Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Mark Udall's chances on Nov. 4, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee will stop its television advertising in Colorado by Tuesday, the Denver Post reported Wednesday.

The DSCC, which has spent nearly $4.6 million on advertising in support of Udall against Republican opponent Bob Schaffer, will focus instead on U.S. Senate races in other states, according to the Post.

WASHINGTON - National Republicans, along with independent groups, are indicating that they are prepared to play defense in two Senate races that were once thought to be unwinnable for Democrats but are now in doubt. As polls across the nation have shown growing dissatisfaction with Republicans, U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky have seen their challengers gain momentum.

On Tuesday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee went up with a web advertisement saying that Georgia "can't afford" Chambliss' Democratic opponent, former state Rep. Jim Martin.

And on Wednesday, the conservative advocacy organization Freedom's Watch is going on the air in the Georgia Senate race with a television advertisement that praises Chambliss for "leading the fight against higher taxes in the Senate."

U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Boston) campaigning in Framingham earlier this year: Politicker Photo

 U.S. Sen. John Kerry reported a war chest of over $5.3 million dollars at the end of the year's 3rd Quarter, a decrease of over $2 million from where he started the quarter, according to his Federal Election Commission report.

Half of that decrease, however, came from a $1 million contribution to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The Boston Democrat, who is currently seeking his fifth term in the U.S. Senate against Republican challenger Jeff Beatty, raked in nearly $131,000 for the quarter.  Between his contribution to the DSCC, another $10,500 given to the Massachusetts Democratic Party and several other large expenditures for his campaign, Kerry spent $2.3 million.

According to a new poll taken for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Senator Collins lead in the polls has shrunk and Allen now trails only 49% to 41%,with 10 percent undecided. Collins' poll numbers have consistently shown her with a double digit lead as have polls from third party sources.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released two ads Thursday accusing U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) of joining President Bush in advocating for privatization of Social Security.

There have been dozens of television ads and web videos releases on both sides of the Jeff Merkley-Gordon Smith battle for the U.S. Senate. The Merkley and Smith campaigns have made some themselves and their respective senatorial campaign committees have thrown a few more into the mix.