The Eye

This is a joint fundraising committee formed May 28 to feed the coffers of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and three Democrats running for the Senate in 2010: incumbents Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut and Michael Bennet of Colorado, and Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, the party's highly touted recruit for the seat left open by retiring Republican Sen. Christopher S. Bond.

But the DSCC, which is orchestrating the party's efforts for all 36 Senate races that will be held across the nation next year, landed $499,550, 80 percent of the evening's total take. Dodd's campaign committee got $30,000, Bennet's committee got $30,000 and Carnahan's committee got $25,000.

A DSCC spokesman declined comment on the group's fundraising.

Nonetheless, the candidates involved must be grateful for any chunk of change they can raise, as all face what are likely to be tough races in 2010.

Dodd, who is seeking a sixth term, faces his toughest re-election campaign ever in his usually Democratic-leaning home state of Connecticut. The nation's recession has prompted a sharp decline in the job approval ratings for the Senate Banking Committee chairman, whose ties to the financial sector have raised questions.

Dodd's campaign committee reports that he raised nearly $1.2 million in the year's second quarter and had more than $1.8 million cash on hand as of June 30. Republican contenders include former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, state Sen. Sam Caligiuri and former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley, while financial analyst Peter Schiff is mulling a bid.

Carnahan is a member of the most prominent Democratic political family in Missouri, one of the nation's most closely contested partisan swing states. Voters there favored Republican John McCain by a razor-thin victory over Democrat Barack Obama for president in 2008, but elected Democrat Jay Nixon as governor.

Carnahan's aides stated that she raised about $1 million in the second quarter and ended with $1.4 million cash on hand. But both figures were about $400,000 less than the money reported seven-term Rep. Roy Blunt, a former House majority whip who is the front-runner for the Republican Senate nomination.

The Democrats have been on a roll in Colorado over recent elections, but appointed incumbent Bennet has needed to move quickly to build his name ID among voters. Bennet, who has never run for political office, was serving as Denver's school superintendent in January when Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. made him the surprise pick to fill the vacancy created when Democratic Sen. Ken Salazar left to become President Obama's Interior secretary.

But Bennet hit the ground running on the fundraising front, and his campaign has reported $1.2 million in receipts for the second quarter -- giving him a total of $2.6 million for his first five and a fraction months in office. And unlike Missouri's Carnahan, Bennet has not drawn a very high-profile challenger. Bennet's fundraising so far has dwarfed that of the two Republicans who have formerd campaign committees, Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier and Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck.

CQ Politics currently rates the 2010 general elections in Connecticut and Missouri as Tossup, and in Colorado as Democrat Favored.

To see how all of the 2010 Senate races are shaping up, check out the CQ Politics' election map.

-- Bart Jansen

Correction: The fundraiser was held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago. The original version of the story stated that the event was held at the hotel in Washington, D.C.