Senate Democrats raise $17.7 million

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WASHINGTON, April 19 (UPI) -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced it raised $7.4 million in March and more than $17.7 million since the start of the year.

The amount of the funds, dedicated to preserving the Democrats' four-seat advantage over the Republican Party in the Senate in the upcoming elections, is a new high, The Hill reported Thursday.

"We have spent the (funding) cycle aggressively recruiting great candidates in open and Republican-held seats. Now donors are more enthusiastic than ever about the likelihood we will keep the majority," Committee Executive Director Guy Cecil said.

The committee reported a total war chest of $24 million and no debt.

Senate Republicans have not released their March figures but raised $5 million in February and have more than $16 million stored away, the newspaper said.