Democrats set aggressive pace with January fundraising

{mosads}Senate Democrats raised $5 million in January, topping their December haul by $1.5 million. Senate Republicans came in with $4.2 million, and had $2 million less on hand than the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s $15.4 million. The DSCC and the National Republican Senatorial Committee are both debt-free.

DSCC Executive Director Guy Cecil said the strong numbers reflected a realization by both parties that Democrats are positioned to keep control of the Senate in November. Democrats can only afford to lose three Senate seats and keep the majority — if Obama is reelected.

“We have recruited great candidates, built significant fundraising advantages, and are assembling unprecedented ground games in to turn out our voters this November,” Cecil said in a statement.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has not yet released their January figures, which is due to federal officials next week. At the end of 2011, the NRSC had $11.5 million on hand and no debt.

On the presidential side, Obama raised $29.1 million in January for his reelection campaign and the Democratic Party, his campaign announced Friday while the president was on a West Coast fundraising swing.

Filings with the Federal Election Commission showed that Obama’s campaign brought in about $11.8 million in contributions, and the Obama Victory Fund, a joint account of Obama’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee, brought in another $13.4 million.

The Republican National Committee raised $10.4 million January, although that figure does not include the millions of dollars the GOP presidential candidates are raising for their campaigns. RNC officials said the committee has $23.4 million in the bank.

“The American people are ready for a new president and a new direction, and that’s evident in their support of the Republican Party,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “We take their trust seriously and look forward to achieving victory in November.”

Obama’s January fundraising outpaced what he brought in at the end of 2011, although it remains to be seen whether he will hold on to that advantage once the GOP primary is over.

– This story was posted at 1:26 p.m. and has been updated.