Fredreka Schouten

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Many vulnerable Senate Democrats saw their campaign donations soar during the first three months of the year, as they raced to demonstrate early financial strength ahead of the 2018 battle for the Senate.

The 10 Democratic incumbents up for re-election in states carried by President Trump collectively raised nearly $19 million between Jan. 1 and March 31, more than twice what they collected during the comparable period of their last Senate campaigns, a USA TODAY tally of newly released figures shows.

There will be no shortage of money on the Republican side, either.

The National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee raised $7 million in March alone, its highest monthly haul in a non-election year, party officials said. And new Federal Election Commission filings show that several House Republicans considering bids against vulnerable Senate Democrats have assembled massive war chests in the first three months of the year.

Nathan Gonzales, who tracks Senate races as editor of the non-partisan Inside Elections newsletter, said the surge in fundraising underscores the power of incumbents to raise money and the energy of liberal donors in the Trump era.

“If you are a Democrat and you are not raising a lot of money right now, there’s something wrong with you,” Gonzales said, noting the record sums flowing into a Georgia House race to back Democrat Jon Ossoff, a 30-year-old political novice competing in a Tuesday special election.

“Democratic donors and Democrats in general are itching for the next fight,” Gonzales said.

The review of newly fundraising figures shows six of the 10 Senate Democrats seeking re-election in Trump territory raised at least $2 million during the first quarter.

Leading the pack: Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, whose state backed Trump by double digits over Democrat Hillary Clinton last November. McCaskill raised $2.8 million during the first quarter of the year, far outpacing the $1.1 million she had collected at this point six years ago.

McCaskill also started April with sizable stockpile of $3 million in available campaign funds. But newly filed Federal Election Commission reports show that a possible McCaskill challenger, Republican Rep. Ann Wagner, had amassed a $2.8 million war chest of available cash.

Tough map

Republicans currently have a 52-48 majority in the Senate. Democrats face an enormous challenge in retaining the seats they now have, much less picking up the three GOP seats they would need to seize the majority.

Of the 34 seats up in 2018, 25 are held by Democrats and the two Independents who caucus with them. By contrast, just nine Senate Republicans are up for re-election in 2018, including one in a special election in deep-red Alabama.

Nevada Sen. Dean Heller is the only Republican incumbent who represents a state Clinton won in last year’s election.

Democrats “face an over-extended map,” said Kyle Kondik, who analyzes federal races at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “But midterm forces often break against the president’s party.”

Read more:

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Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, facing a possible general-election rematch against Republican state Treasurer Josh Mandel, has collected $2.4 million during the first quarter, a sharp climb from the $1.3 million he had collected at this point in the 2012 election.

Brown started April with $5 million in available cash.

The Brown-Mandel showdown in 2012 was one of the most expensive Senate races that year. Outside groups spent about $20 million, most of it unsuccessfully targeting Brown for defeat, according to a tally by the non-profit Center for Responsive Politics.

“We fully expect that to happen again,” said Justin Barasky, Brown’s campaign manager. “Our strong first quarter numbers prove Ohioans are eager to re-elect Sherrod and strongly support his fight for working families across our state.”

Mandel’s team said he raised nearly $1.5 million through several fundraising organizations and had more than $2.4 million in available cash in those bank accounts.

In a statement about the early fundraising, Mandel said “dedicated conservatives … understand the importance of our fight.”

Mandel could face a primary challenge from a well-funded Republican: Nine-term Ohio Rep. Pat Tiberi, who started April with whopping $6.3 million remaining in the bank, according to a campaign-finance report filed over the weekend.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin reported the lowest fundraising among the 10 Democrats seeking re-election in Trump-won states. Manchin took in a modest $556,198 during the first quarter — roughly $27,000 more than he raised at this point six years ago.

But Kondik notes that Manchin, a former governor, has widespread name recognition in West Virginia. It’s also a small state with few expensive media markets that would drive up television advertising costs for candidates.

Incumbents such as Manchin, “are going to have more than enough money to get their message out,” Gonzales added. “If Joe Manchin loses, it’s not going to be because he didn’t have enough money, it will be because his state is so Republican now.”

in 2012, the last time Manchin was on the ballot, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney won West Virginia by nearly 27 percentage points. In last year’s election, Trump fared far better, sweeping the state by 42 points.