Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., in town for an economic pep talk, raised an estimated $318,000 for two Michigan congressmen on Monday. Biden attended back-to-back fundraisers in Detroit for freshman Democrats Mark Schauer and Gary Peters before giving a speech to Democratic donors at the MGM Grand Casino Hotel.

Both Schauer and Peters have built up big financial cushions going into the 2010 election where both are expected to be targeted, Schauer more aggressively than Peters. Peters reported $1.1 million in cash at the end of the third quarter, while Schauer banked $900,000.

The Republican National Committee is running a radio ad in Michigan Monday saying, “Vice President Biden, Congressman Peters, and Congressman Schauer should stop wasting time with political fundraising and get back to work. Michigan needs jobs, not more political speeches.”

CQ Politics rates Michigan’s 7th District general election contest Leans Democratic and Michigan’s 9th District Likely Democratic.