A number of leading Republican fundraisers on K Street have launched a drive to fill the campaign coffers of Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia who is expected to face a runoff election on December 2. Chambliss' total from Tuesday's voting appeared to put him just shy of the 50 percent-plus-one required under state law to win the election.

The stakes are high. In January, Senate Democrats will have at least 55 seats (plus Independents Joe Lieberman and Bernie Sanders, who caucus with them) -- leaving the party just three short of a filibuster-proof majority. "Retaining the (Chambliss) seat is clearly strategically important to stop liberal overreach," says Dirk Van Dongen, the president of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, one of the groups that's now working hard to help Chambliss in his race against Democrat Jim Martin.

                                                                                                    -- Peter H. Stone

Separately, in the battle over the Minnesota Senate race the Republican National Lawyers Association has sent an urgent plea for 150 to 200 volunteers to help incumbent Norm Coleman win an expected recount in his race against Democrat Al Franken. Presently, Coleman holds a lead of just over 200 votes out of more than 2.4 million cast. "Team Coleman is in URGENT need of volunteers to serve at precincts throughout Minnesota to observe the recount process," said a Nov.6 e-mail to current and former RNLA members.

Also that day Coleman for Senate 08 finance director Sara Myers issued a fundraising appeal for contributions to a Coleman recount fund, noting that individuals can give as much as $2,300 and multi-candidate federal PACs can kick in up to $5,000.