Campaign committees

President Obama plans a series of fall rallies in key states for Democrats in advance of November's midterm elections.

Endangered Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) said Wednesday that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has "certainly offered a lot of support" for his reelection bid.

The freshman lawmaker, whose name sits near the top of the GOP's list of Democratic targets in 2010, told a local newspaper that the DCCC has been "supportive" but said it's not support his campaign is relying on to win.

Perriello's comments came in response to a report in The New York Times over the weekend that suggested his Virginia congressional district was one national-party strategists are likely to pull its resources from ahead of November.

DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) pushed back quickly against the story, releasing a statement refuting the assertion that the committee was pulling its resources from select campaigns.

“The DCCC has been supportive. The DCCC certainly offered a lot of support,” Perriello told the Martinsville Bulletin.

But the congressman said ultimately he isn't concerned about the level of support coming from the national party, emphasizing, "The party support is there, but we're not relying on it."

Perriello's district is also one where the DCCC reserved television time ahead of November, but the committee has yet to run any ads there.

Republicans are convinced that Perriello's seat is ripe for the taking given the congressman's votes in favor of healthcare reform and the stimulus. Perriello, who won his first term in 2008 by just 727 votes, faces state Sen. Robert Hurt (R) in November.

Democrats are demanding that an NRCC staffer be fired for tweeting the addresses of staff for Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.).

DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) rebutted the story that said party leaders were planning a "brutal triage of members."

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said the bus tour would be unveiled when Congress comes back into session.

Begich told The Hill: "I'm putting the pressure on" the party to support Dem nominee Scott McAdams.

Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) denied Wednesday he is engaged in an effort to oust Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. 

In an interview on ABC's "Topline," Coleman said, "There is no effort to replace Michael Steele" before November.

"The pundits can talk about the leadership of the RNC, they can talk about fundraising, a whole group of things, but the bottom line is we’re all working together," he said. "I’m working with Chairman Steele. We’re going to have a very good November if we stay focused on issues such as the economy, national debt and health care."

However, Coleman didn't rule out a bid for RNC Chair next year.

Coleman, who lost reelection to Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) in 2008, now heads American Action Network, one of a handful of conservative independent expenditure groups bucking up Republican candidates across the country in 2010.

On the primary defeat of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (D-Alaska), Coleman expressed surprise and said he expected Rep. Mike Castle, who's running for Senate, to survive a challenge from conservative commentator Christine O'Donnell later this month.    

Republicans are making a multimillion-dollar investment in Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R).

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) announced Wednesday it plans to spend $2.5 million on TV advertising for Rubio. The committee recently pledged $3.4 million to Illinois Senate candidate Mark Kirk (R).

"This funding demonstrates a continued commitment to Marco Rubio's candidacy and our confidence that he will be Florida's next U.S. senator," NRSC spokeswoman Amber Marchand told the St. Petersburg Times. "What remains to be seen is whether the national Democrats will make the same commitment to Congressman Kendrick Meek's campaign."

Democrats have recently been more focused on the third candidate in the race, Gov. Charlie Crist.

Florida-based strategist Steve Schale wrote a widely circulated blog post Tuesday arguing the governor has no path to victory. "Rubio is limiting him to 20 percent of the Republican vote. If Rubio keeps him at 20 percent of the GOP vote, Crist needs to get 45 percent of the Democratic vote in order to win, and according to the latest PPP poll, Crist is only at 38 percent today with Democrats," Schale wrote.

The memo came a day after the NRSC circulated a letter mocking Crist and asking for its $10,000 donation to be returned.

In a last-minute fundraising appeal, Sen. Menendez says: "Nothing would give them more bragging rights than winning this seat."