Red-state Democrats up for tough re-election campaigns in 2014 have been offering each other more than just moral support in recent months: They have plenty of money to share, too.

Among the top recipients of leadership PAC money in 2013 are Democratic senators considered to be vulnerable in next year’s elections. Sens. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska) rank first, second, third and sixth among current candidates receiving contributions from colleagues’ leadership PACs and campaign accounts. In many cases, they are getting money from one another.

Overall, currently active Senate 2014 candidates took in a total of nearly $5.5 million from their colleagues in the first three quarters of 2013. The highest ranking Republicans on the list were Sen. Susan Collins (D-Me.), at No. 4, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), right behind her. McConnell is viewed by some as being vulnerable in both his primary and general election races.

Of the four top Democrats, Pryor, who is Arkansas’ only Democrat in Congress and faces a tough race against likely GOP nominee Tom Cotton, a freshman House member, has received the most from leadership PACs, with contributions totaling $228,600. The Pryor-Cotton faceoff is one into which the candidates and outside groups have already poured millions.

PACs affiliated with the other vulnerable Dems have all contributed to his campaign: Jazz PAC (Landrieu), Long Leaf Pine PAC (Hagan) and Great Land PAC (Begich) have each donated $10,000.

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But as threatened as Pryor may be, he’s been helping out his fellow red-state Dems as well. Landrieu, Hagan and Begich have all received donations of $10,000 from his Priority PAC. Landrieu and Hagan have received more than $200,000 in leadership PAC contributions, while Begich has received nearly $180,000.

Demonstrating how money plays a role in cementing loyalty — or sometimes disloyalty — in Congress, all four red-state Dems have remained steadfast in their support for the Senate Democratic leaders who have also contributed to their campaigns. Even when the shutdown was spelling trouble for many of those running in conservative states, Pryor, Hagan, Landrieu and Begich all stuck with the party line. It might not hurt that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid‘s PAC, the Searchlight Leadership Fund, has given money to each of them. In addition, the Prairie PAC, which is affiliated with Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, has given to Pryor, Landrieu and Begich.

That’s not to say these senators are not willing to give their leadership an earful. On Nov. 6, Begich, Landrieu and Pryor were among a group of Democrats who met at the White House to address concerns regarding the troubled launch of the Affordable Care Act — an issue that could spell further trouble for them in 2014.

Senior researcher Doug Weber contributed to this post.



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