Despite a dinner hosted by President Bush on behalf of the National Republican Congressional Committee, an event that pulled in $8.6 million in pledges and donations on a single night, Democrats still have an overwhelming advantage on their Republican counterparts, FEC reports due last night at midnight show. And given heavy spending by both parties on House races in Louisiana and Mississippi, that gap could grow larger this month.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised $10.1 million in March, matching what they had raised in the previous two months combined. The committee is left with $44.3 million in the bank and no debt. Democrats look so powerful that even a political action committee dedicated to the juice company Ocean Spray made a contribution.

A little more than a month after taking a special election victory in Illinois, Democrats have now invested heavily in a number of special elections in 2008 alone. Democrats spent $1.05 million on the Illinois seat, which is now occupied by Rep. Bill Foster, and $311,000 on Indiana's Seventh District, now held by Rep. Andre Carson. Through Friday, the party had spent another $337,000 on Louisiana's Sixth District, where State Rep. Don Cazayoux is battling former state legislator Woody Jenkins, and $141,000 on Mississippi's First District, where local official Travis Childers is taking on Republican Southaven Mayor Greg Davis.

The National Republican Congressional Committee saw the gap between itself and Democrats grow this month, as despite commitments for $8.6 million at the presidential bash, the committee raised just $7.1 million in March and spent more than $5 million. A month after the party had to restate cash on hand totals after a scandal involving former treasurer Christopher Ward, the NRCC reported nearly $7.2 million in the bank with no debt.

The party is having to defend the same two special election seats Democrats are attacking, though, hindering Republicans' ability to build a nice November nest egg. Through Thursday, the NRCC had dropped $292,000 on Davis' Mississippi seat and $120,000 on behalf of Jenkins in Louisiana. In March, the committee spent $1.26 million in its unsuccessful effort to save former Speaker Dennis Hastert's seat in Illinois.

The situation is largely reversed when when it comes to the DCCC's and NRCC's building mates, their respective national parties. Howard Dean's Democratic National Committee raised almost $6 million in March, but they spent $5.4 million and ended March with just $5.3 million in the bank. That's up from $2.9 million cash on hand on January 1, a pace that isn't exactly on par with their Republican rivals.

Mike Duncan's Republican National Committee had a much better month, raising $15.3 million in March and spending $9.3 million to keep $31 million left over. At a meeting of the Republican National Committee earlier this month, Duncan formally informed John McCain's campaign manager that the money stood ready to help. McCain, perhaps returning the favor, will swing by Inez, Kentucky, a small town near Charleston and the West Virginia border that Duncan calls home.