While the National Republican Senatorial Committee slightly outraised its Democratic counterpart in the first three months of the year, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ended March with a considerable cash-on-hand advantage.

The DSCC raised $9.5 million in the first quarter of 2005 — $5.2 million in March alone — its best financial start yet to a nonelection year since the elimination of unregulated soft money. The committee ended the period with more than $5.6 million left in the bank and no outstanding debt.

“We’re getting support from across the country — from big donors and small and even from a good number of Republicans, all of whom realize that balance in government is essential,” DSCC Chairman Charles Schumer (N.Y.) said in a statement.

The party’s ability to keep pace “reflects just how much energy is behind Democrats right now,” DSCC spokesman Phil Singer added.

The NRSC, meanwhile, raked in $9.8 million in the early part of this year. But the committee closed the quarter with just $2.4 million in the bank. The NRSC spent $6.9 million in February alone.

NRSC spokesman Brian Nick said the committee will increase its available cash this quarter with two major upcoming events. A fundraiser is planned later this month at the home of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) featuring President Bush, and the President’s Dinner, an annual joint House/Senate GOP fundraiser, is scheduled for June 14.