Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is boosting the candidacies of three Congressional hopefuls in competitive races. In a recent fundraising e-mail from Clinton’s HillPAC political action committee, the Senator asks for financial contributions for what she called “three remarkable women running for Congress.”

Clinton calls out former Senate aide Betsy Markey (D), running against Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R) in Colorado’s 4th district; businesswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D), running against Rep. Phil English (R) in Pennsylvania’s 3rd district, and former Senate aide Anne Barth (D), who is challenging Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R) in West Virginia’s 2nd district.

“They’re all running for office for the very first time,” Clinton says in the e-mail. “They’re all running in rural districts against entrenched Republican incumbents who have been some of George Bush’s best friends in Congress. And all of them can win their incredibly close races if you help them today.”

Clinton is also raising money for 17 other Democrats running for the House and Senate, according to the HillPAC Web site.

DSCC Outraises NRSC By 2-to-1 in September

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raised $14.4 million in September, far outpacing the National Republican Senatorial Committee and padding its cash advantage with two weeks to go until Election Day.

“Our successful September fundraising will allow us to put dollars into get-out-the-vote operations, which we hope will give our candidates the extra push they need on Election Day,” DSCC Chairman Charles Schumer (N.Y.) said in a statement Monday.

Last month’s double-digit total gave the DSCC $26.3 million in cash on hand as of Sept. 30, roughly $9 million more than the NRSC. Senate Republicans raised $6.6 million in September and closed out the month with $17.4 million in the bank.

Through Sept. 30, the DSCC had raised $117.3 million for the cycle and the NRSC had taken in $74.3 million.

“We knew all along that the DSCC would have to try to buy races to win — they had inferior candidates across the country,” NRSC spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher said. “They will spend more than $100 million trying to buy the U.S. Senate. How else could people like [comedian] Al Franken get elected” in Minnesota?

Senate Republicans face a playing field that is heavily skewed against them this cycle. Republicans are defending 23 seats to the Democrats’ 12, only one of which is considered in danger of flipping to the GOP.

With incumbents such as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) now appearing to be in electoral jeopardy, Democrats are looking at a possible net gain of nine seats — which would give them a 60-seat, filibuster-proof majority. In 2006, Democrats picked up six seats on their way to winning the majority.