Dems hold money lead in elections

"Corruptus in Extremis"

• Big Business and labor unions are pumping mountains of cash right into the pockets of the political hacks in D.C.
• We The People has no meaning.  Our "leaders" are bought and paid for.

The Democrats say it’s far too early to write them off in November.

"People start to pay attention after Labor Day," said Michael Czin, spokesman for the Democratic National Committee.

Republicans, meanwhile, insist that they are not worried that Democrats are bringing in more campaign cash. They have plenty of resources, they say, to take the Senate and add to their House majority reports The Hill.

"We are headed into the final months of the election with the resources to stay on offense," Daniel Scarpinato, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), said Friday. "With President Obama dragging down Democrats coast to coast, they are going to need more money just to stop the bleeding.

What's not in dispute is that the Democrats' are far out-raising the Republicans on the campaign trail.
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The DCCC, for instance, has brought in $136.2 million this cycle through July, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), versus $109.4 million for the NRCC. The DCCC's advantage comes even as Republicans outnumber Democrats 233 to 199 in the lower chamber.

Across the Capitol, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) has gained a similar edge, claiming receipts totaling $103.5 million this cycle – $27 million more than the $76.5 million raised by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) over the same span.

Still, the Democrats in both chambers face a steep climb in November. House Democrats need to net 17 seats to win back the Speaker's gavel – a goal that looks highly unlikely in the face of hostile political winds.

In the Senate, Democrats have a simple numbers disadvantage: They're defending 21 seats this cycle, versus only 15 for the Republicans, and a number of them are in conservative-leaning states – including Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina – where Obama's unpopularity is a drag on the Democratic incumbents.

Indeed, Democratic seats in Montana and South Dakota will likely flip to the GOP next year, according to the Cook Political Report, while a Democratic-held seat in West Virginia is "leaning" in favor of the Republicans. Cook rates seven other Democratic seats "toss ups."

Guy Cecil, executive director of the DSCC, said Friday that he's confident the Democrats will keep control of the upper chamber for Obama's final two years.