As you might have noticed, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has about $31 million more in the bank than the National Republican Congressional Committee when debts and other obligations are taken into account. What you might not know, and what I hadn't realized until reading from the 22nd paragraph of a Paul Kane article on page A5 of todays Washington Post, was that a good portion of that advantage came from small dollar donors contributing online.

But House Democrats, under the direction of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), began to refocus on attracting small donors through the Internet, the cheapest and most efficient fundraising vehicle. The DCCC raised $87,000 online in the 2001-2002 election cycle, an amount that grew to $7 million in the 2006 cycle. Aides said the goal for online fundraising in the 2008 cycle is $12 million.

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Meanwhile, Republicans have paid more than $100 million since 2003 to an Ohio-based direct-mail and telemarketing firm, Infocision, that was supposed to give Republicans a big advantage among small donors. Instead, during the past two years, the DCCC has raised more in contributions of less than $200 than the NRCC, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

Obviously, as is the case with the fundraising prowess of the Democratic presidential candidates relative to the Republican candidates, much of the advantage stems from more large donors stepping up for House Democrats. Yet at the same time, even as Republicans waste millions upon millions of dollars trying to activate donors who are no longer interested in supporting their party (anyone ever wonder why the GOP committees tended to outspend their Democratic rivals?), an increasing number of small dollar donors are coming together to help the Democrats extend the size of their majority in the House of Representatives.