With President Obama out of the country, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. stepped out on the campaign trail over the past two days with stops in Nevada and Arizona to raise funds and rally support for local Democrats.

And the Connecticut Democratic party announced Monday that he will attend a luncheon in support of embattled Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn. Dec. 11, signaling a new level of intensity in the vice president's party-building efforts that have already seen him visit, by his count, 54 House districts this year.

Biden's made appearances Sunday and Monday with vulnerable Reps. Dina Titus, D-Nev., Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz.., and Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz., all of whom face competitive races in states that have been particularly hard hit by the housing crisis and economic recession.

According to a report by the Pew Center on the States released last week, Arizona ranked second and Nevada fifth among states in the most "fiscal peril" in 2009. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., won Kirkpatrick's 1st District and Mitchell's 5th District in the 2008 presidential race, while Obama snared Titus' 3rd District.

Yet another Connecticut Republican has launched a television advertisement for a primary that's 10 months away -- a move that underscores how competitive and expensive the contest to oust Sen. Christopher J. Dodd has become.

Former Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley hit the airwaves Tuesday with his second ad.

He follows fellow Republican and former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon, who went up on the airwaves in September and again last week for just one day, while President Obama was in Connecticut to raise money for Dodd.

Linda McMahon's background as a pro wrestling impresario has prompted any number of jokes since last week when she launched her bid for the Republican Senate nomination in Connecticut. But it took mere days -- and a big-money campaign ad run -- to show that the first-time Republican candidate is dead serious about trying to unseat Democratic incumbent Christopher J. Dodd.

McMahon dipped into the wealth she has amassed as CEO of publicly-traded World Wrestling Entertainment to finance a seven-figure television ad buy. Her campaign has two ads running on network television in the New York City media market -- the nation's biggest and most expensive -- and across Connecticut for the next seven days.

McMahon's campaign also launched an introductory radio spot yesterday to air statewide for one week; took out full-page ads in local newspapers; sent out mailers; and has Web ads up targeting Connecticut voters.

The conservative Family Research Council's political action committee plans to target 16 congressional races in 2010. The group's president, Tony Perkins, said the PAC has a goal of raising $1 million to boost grassroots activity in targeted races.

The group wants to spend money to help favored candidates take over the seats now represented by:

Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat who is running for a full term in Colorado after his appointment this year;

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, a Democrat who is running for re-election in Connecticut;

New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg, a Republican who is retiring;

Missouri Sen. Christopher S. Bond, a Republican who is retiring;

Rep. John Boccieri, a Democrat who represents Ohio's 16th District;

Once he crossed the $800,000 fund raising mark there wasn't much doubt that financier Peter Schiff was serious about running for the Senate in 2010.

On Thursday, he made it official.

Add the former adviser to the Ron Paul presidential campaign to the list of Republicans eager to take on Democratic Sen. Christopher J. Dodd in 2010.

Schiff, head of Euro Pacific Capital, used an appearance on the MSNBC program "Morning Joe" to declare the exploratory phase of the campaign over. He said the economy is spurring him to run: "I can't sit idly by and just watch a train wreck in motion."

Schiff also sent an e-mail to supporters Thursday morning crediting their support with making his campaign possible. "Based on the support that I have received thus far, I fully expect to be facing down Chris Dodd in the general election just 14 months from now," he wrote.

Linda McMahon, the chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment, announced Wednesday that she has joined the contest for the 2010 Republican Senate nomination in Connecticut.

Her entry adds a good deal of personal wealth -- and perhaps a bit of her sports marketing firm's trademark theatrical flair -- to the already crowded field of Republicans seeking to challenge Democratic Sen. Christopher J. Dodd. Suffering from a job approval slump tied to questions about his oversight of the financial industry as chairman of the Banking Committee, Dodd is more vulnerable than at any previous point in his Senate career.

McMahon, who stepped down from her CEO post to run, released a statement Wednesday touting her business experience as a key qualification for the seat. "I have spent the past 30 years growing what began as a 13-employee small business into a publicly traded, global entertainment company," she said. "I understand what it takes to balance a budget, create jobs and grow the economy."

She has run the company with her husband, Vince McMahon, a showman who long has been the public face of pro wrestling and its flamboyant mixture of sports and theater.

A former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee said Thursday that he is seeing a "momentum shift" away from Democrats ahead of the November 2010 elections but cautioned against making predictions of significant Republican gains more than a year before the balloting.

Former Virginia Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, who served in the House from 1995 through 2008 and now is president of the centrist Republican Main Street Partnership, told reporters that the first midterm election in a new presidential administration has almost always yielded seat gains in Congress to the party not controlling the White House.

Though Republicans still have poor approval ratings, they could make gains in a low-turnout 2010 election from voters who are uneasy with one-party rule in Washington. Democrats have advantages of 256-178 in the House and 59-40 in the Senate.

Former Connecticut Rep. Rob Simmons isn't wasting any time in trying to consolidate local party support for his Senate bid in what could be a crowded primary.

The Simmons campaign announced on Monday it had secured the endorsement of Deputy House Republican Leader Bill Hamzy, a former Connecticut Republican Party chairman, adding to a string of GOP endorsements this summer that now includes state House Republican Leader Larry Cafero, state Sen. Tony Guglielmo and 20 members of the Republican State Central Committee.

The party will endorse a candidate to take on Democratic Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, who is battling the lowest approval ratings of his career, at its convention, which is slated for May 21-22, 2010. Other candidates can still run in the primary, but the party nod could provide important momentum.

Connecticut Sen. Christopher J. Dodd underwent successful surgery in New York Tuesday to treat his early-stage prostate cancer, his campaign announced.

In an e-mail to supporters, Dodd's wife, Jackie Clegg Dodd wrote, "I am very happy and relieved to report that the surgery went very well and the doctors predict a full recovery."

Dodd is expected to spend a couple weeks recovering at his home in Connecticut before returning to Washington, D.C., in September.

Dodd's cancer was discovered as a part of a routine physical in June; he disclosed his diagnosis publicly on July 31. Wrote Clegg Dodd, "Chris and I want to encourage all of you to make sure that you and your loved ones get annual physicals. His cancer was caught early during a regular checkup."

A loss of trust has been one of the biggest things eating at Sen. Christopher J. Dodd's approval ratings back home in Connecticut. Friday's ruling by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, which cleared the five-term senator of any wrongdoing in the 2003 refinancing of two mortgages, could help lift at least one of the ethics clouds that have been been hanging over him as he seeks a sixth term in 2010. But state Republicans are doing their darnedest to keep that from happening.

In a letter to Dodd signed by all six ethics panel members, the committee said it had found "no substantial evidence" that his mortgages with now-defunct Countrywide Financial violated Senate rules. The inquiry lasted a year and included a review of 18,000 pages of documents and interview transcripts.

The ruling backs up Dodd's repeated denials that he ever sought or even knew about any preferential treatment from Countrywide despite his inclusion in a VIP program called "Friends of Angelo" -- a reference to the company's then-CEO, Angelo Mozilo. And it reiterates the Dodd campaign's findings,as reported in the local press, that his mortgage terms were widely available on the market at the time. That point was made yet again by the Hartford Courant in an editorial last week.

In a statement, Dodd said the ruling proved that "the allegations are and have always been false."

Backers of Republican Rep. Ron Paul's 2008 presidential bid are working their fundraising magic with prospective Connecticut Senate candidate Peter Schiff.

They've rallied around Schiff, a libertarian financier and former Paul presidential adviser, helping him raise $528,000 since announcing in mid-July that he was formally exploring a challenge to incumbent Democrat Christopher J. Dodd. And today they are launching a "money bomb" -- the type of one-day online fundraising push that helped Paul net more than $6 million in a 24-hour-period in December 2007 -- that Schiff organizers hope will bring in $200,000 more.

Schiff is considering entering the crowded Republican field to take on Dodd, one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents in 2010. He is using his fundraising efforts to test his viability as a candidate, telling backers last month that his decision "is largely dependent on the level of early support and contributions I receive from people like you."

Connecticut Sen. Christopher J. Dodd got some backup Friday from one of his state's most influential papers.

"The senator and his wife, Jackie Clegg Dodd, negotiated interest rates and terms widely available in the marketplace when they refinanced the two homes. That's not special treatment," the editorial concluded.

The Senate vote Tuesday to end production of F-22 fighter planes has generated a round of finger-pointing in Connecticut over who should have done more to save the program.

Republican Senate hopefuls Rob Simmons and Sam Caligiuri put out press releases attacking Sen. Christopher J. Dodd for failing to muster opposition to the amendment to the fiscal 2010 defense authorization bill (S 1390). Dodd voted against the amendment, proposed by Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and John McCain, R-Ariz., and backed by the White House, because it would cost Connecticut jobs -- the state is home to the Pratt & Whitney, which builds the plane's engines.

In a press release, Dodd said he "has raised serious concerns about shutting down the production of the F-22 Raptor since Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made the announcement earlier this year," adding that the decision will "harm our economy and industrial capability," and "place our national security at risk."

Simmons and Caligiuri said such protestations were not enough, taking a shot at one of Dodd's big selling points on the campaign trail -- that the state would lose his invaluable Senate seniority and clout should it opt to replace him.

Both major parties' congressional campaign units make a practice of setting up joint fundraising committees. These operations share the contributions they receive between the national party organization and individual candidates who are up for election in the current cycle.

But a Democratic fundraiser held in June, from which the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) netted the lion's share of the proceeds, highlights the fact that having a joint committee usually does not mean a 50-50 split.

The event on June 15 event at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Chicago, was headlined by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, a former House Democrat from Illinois. And it raised more than $600,000 for "Senate Victory 2010."

Connecticut Republican Peter Schiff is using donation levels over the next few weeks to gauge support for a potential Senate run in 2010. But he might want to make a note of the experience of political mentor, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, whose 2008 presidential campaign experience demonstrated that a huge number of donations do not necessarily denote electoral viability.

"My decision to run is largely dependent on the level of early support and contributions I receive from people like you," he wrote in the e-mail. Recent polling, he said, has convinced him the race is "winnable," and "now it's up to the people to show their support because no candidate can win this race alone."

Despite a heavy policy load that includes shepherding the Democrats' health care overhaul through the Senate, Connecticut Sen. Christopher J. Dodd somehow found time to conduct a good deal of fundraising over the past three months. The five-term incumbent announced Monday that he raised $1.2 million in the second quarter, besting his first quarter total of $1 million and leading all comers is what is expected to be a heavily contested 2010 race.

Dodd's campaign boasted that the senator "received more individual donations from Connecticut than any other state," after coming under criticism when its first-quarter fundraising report revealed just five Connecticut residents donated. The campaign also counted 1,700 small-dollar donors who contributed $200 or less, but did not release details on how much money it raised from large donors or political action committees. Dodd raised more than 40 percent of his contributions from PACs in the first quarter, with finance industry, health care and labor committees leading the way.

It's a recess week for Congress, and one day before a key campaign fundraising deadline. So members of Congress and the candidates seeking their seats are engaging in some last-minute money-seeking before this year's second quarter expires at midnight tomorrow.

Without fail, these solicitations note the importance that the press and political analysts ascribe to the second-quarter campaign finance reports, which candidates have to file by July 15. The fundraising implorations often are couched in apocalyptic and urgent tones, warning of the political consequences of the opposition winning the upcoming election.

Here are some excerpts from some fundraising solicitations I've seen over the past few hours. Feel free to use the comments section to let us know about any you've received or seen.

Peter Schiff

"Peter is a non-traditional candidate," said Andrew Schiff of his brother, an outspoken libertarian who has gained attention for correctly predicting the collapse of the mortgage industry despite mockery from other industry analysis. "We're attracting a lot of very fervent believers.The question is whether or not this will all resonate with the voters of Connecticut."

Indeed, Schiff was not considering a Senate run against five-term Sen. Christopher J. Dodd until he became the subject of an aggressive drafting campaign this past winter.

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd has made strides in consolidating support among Connecticut Democrats, but it seems he still has work to do after the Kent Democratic Town Committee passed a no-confidence resolution against Dodd earlier this week.

Town committee chairman Todd Jones told the Lichtfield County Times that at Dodd's appearance before the committee last month had been a disapointment. "Some committee members felt [Mr.] Dodd did not answer their questions at all. Only three or so questions were answered and people felt their concerns were not addressed."

Christopher Dodd (Getty)

The Courant, one of the state's leading papers, solicited responses from professionals across Connecticut's public affairs sphere, ranging from former Democratic governor Lowell P. Weicker Jr., to Ronald A. Williams, CEO of health care firm Aetna, to Dodd's colleague in the Senate, Independent Joseph I. Lieberman.

Despite the drubbing Dodd has taken in the press and from the state Republican party of late, the tone in the Courant's survey, among Democrats and Republicans alike, was notably respectful. State Sen. Minority Leader and prospective 4th District Republican candidate John McKinney's statement that "I have always liked and respected [Dodd] and his years of service to our nation," is a far cry from one of Dodd's GOP challengers, former Rep. Rob Simmons, calling the senator a "lying weasel" on Fox News.

Investor and financial commentator Peter Schiff confirmed Tuesday night that he is "potentially considering" a run for U.S. Senate in Connecticut.

Schiff, a frequent guest on CNBC and Fox News who predicted the current financial crisis several years ago, made a visit to Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to hawk his book, "Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse" But the interview quickly veered into politics, with Schiff launching into a critique of both the Bush and Obama administration's economic policies.

"Are you running for office?" Stewart finally asked.

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd is jumping on the Web 2.0 bandwagon, perhaps hoping some fresh modes of outreach will help him re-connect with Connecticut voters.

"Today is an opportunity for me to tell you why this is important, and to invite your attention and ideas to this discussion and debate," Dodd says in the video, directing viewers to the "YouTube Senate Hub" to record their views.

Robin Carnahan, the challenger of the bunch.

All three are in competitive races in Senate Victory 2010 fund created May 28. The fund will benefit Sens. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut and Michael Bennet of Colorado, and Missouri's Secretary of State, Robin Carnahan, who seeks the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Christopher S. Bond.

Such joint fundraising committees allow candidates to hold single events with contributors writing a single check for multiple candidates, who then split the proceeds with the national committee. But they also create accounting headaches because contribution limits from individuals still apply. For example, if a contributor has already given the maximum $2,400 per election to Dodd, any contribution to the joint committee must be divided among the others.

Tom Foley

Foley is looking to paint himself as "a Washington outsider and expert in business and economics," as he says on his new Web site. He was, however, a fundraiser for President George W. Bush, and was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Ireland in 2006. He promised supporters Wednesday afternoon that he would "bring fresh ideas, new energy, and real expertise to the problems we face in Connecticut and across the country.

His low profile and lack of political experience make him a virtual unknown in Connecticut, a disadvantage against his GOP opponents -- former Rep. Rob Simmons and state Sen. Sam Caliguiri. However, Foley's successful business forays, including stints at consulting firm McKinsey & Co. and Citicorp Venture Capital and now owner of several companies, make it likely he will be capable of self-funding.

Connecticut Sen. Christopher J. Dodd's first television ad of the 2010 cycle went live Friday, but it is President Obama, rather than the embattled five-term senator, who is the star of the 30-second spot.

Hoping to capitalize on a "shout-out" the popular president gave Dodd for his work on an overhaul of credit card companies' practices (PL 111-24), the ad features images from the bill's signing ceremony and audio of Obama talking about the "common-sense reform" it enacted.

Dodd, Obama goes on to say, "has been a relentless fighter to get this done." The ad ends with the claim that the Democrat is "fighting back for us."

Merrick Alpert was a member of former VP Al Gore's advance team. (Getty)

Alpert intends to formally launch his candidacy Tuesday, according to a statement he posted on his Web site over the weekend.

Dodd finds himself at political risk heading into his 2010 campaign: Highly popular through most of his career, his approval ratings among Connecticut voters have dropped sharply over the past year -- because of questions raised about the Senate Banking Committee chairman's ties to the financial industry, though also because many state voters were disgruntled over his brief, failed bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Christopher and Jackie Clegg Dodd (Getty)

In an opinion piece in the Hartford Courant published Sunday, the five-term Democrat wrote, "this past week the attacks against me just went too far," a reference to an investigative piece in the Courant examining Jackie Clegg Dodd's exploding salary since her marriage thanks to posts on several corporate boards.

Dodd laid the blame for the controversy at the feet of state GOP Chairman Chris Healy. "He claimed she served on corporate boards and isn't qualified," Dodd wrote. "That is a flat-out lie and it's low-blow politics at its worst."