WASHINGTON, July 19 (UPI) -- Senate Democrats raised more campaign cash in the second quarter than their Republican opponents in seven of the 10 most competitive fall races.
Roll Call reported Monday campaign financial reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, Illinois state Democratic Sen. Barack Obama has brought in more than $4 million in contributions from from April 1 to June 30 of this year, the most of any candidate in the top races for Senate seats.
Former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles raised more than $2.6 million in his North Carolina Senate races and Colorado's Democratic Attorney General Ken Salazar and Rep. Chris John -- who is running to replace the retiring senior senator from Louisiana, John Breaux -- both raised more than $2 million each in the second quarter in their bids for Senate seats.
For Republicans, the top money-raiser in Senate contests in the second quarter was former South Dakota Rep. John Thune, who out-fundraised Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., by about $8 million by bringing in nearly $3.9 million in donations, more than any other GOP candidate for the Senate.
The Democratic candidate's successes echo the fundraising success of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which for the first time has out raised its Republican counterparts during a three-month campaign period, raising $15 million vs. the National Republican Senatorial Committee's $11 million.
