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U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts (left) and Bernie Sanders of Vermont (right) are each putting their considerable fundraising power to work for Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Ted Strickland.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci; Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio--Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Ted Strickland is getting some much-needed fundraising help from two of America's most prominent liberals.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is set to attend a Sept. 17 fundraiser in Cleveland on behalf of Strickland, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Strickland's campaign also sent out a fundraising email from Warren on Thursday. In the email, Warren called Strickland "one of my favorite Democratic Senate candidates."

Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont asked his considerable number of supporters to donate $2.70 each to Strickland and three other Democratic Senate candidates.

It remains to be seen how lucrative their pleas will be for Strickland, though both Warren and - especially - Sanders have proven themselves prolific at attracting large amounts of money from progressive supporters.

Strickland needs all the help they can give: the former Ohio governor has so far raised only a fraction of the money taken in by Republican incumbent Rob Portman, who has the largest campaign bank account of any vulnerable Republican in the country.

That financial advantage has been a big reason Portman has pulled ahead of Strickland in recent polls: while Republicans have purchased tens of millions worth of TV ads this summer, Strickland's cash-strapped campaign only began airing ads a few weeks ago.

Strickland is an old friend of Hillary Clinton, who beat Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination this year. But after some hesitation, Sanders is now moving to help Democrats retake control of the Senate by backing comparatively centrist candidates such as Strickland.

There has also been talk of Sanders coming to Ohio to campaign for Strickland this fall, though so far no such plans have been announced.