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All the first-quarter fundraising results show that Democrats are doing significantly better than Republicans. But Republicans are increasingly raising money in other, more opaque ways.

One thing is clear from the first-quarter fundraising results: The 2014 midterms are likely to be the most expensive ever.

Staff writer

Amanda Paulson is a staff writer based in Boulder, Colo.

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Another: Democrats are doing well, at least when it comes to money.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) raised more than $10 million in March, and now sits on an impressive war chest of about $40 million, putting it at the top of party-linked campaign committees. (Last week, disclosures showed that the Democrats' campaign committee for Senate candidates raised $8.1 million in March, compared with the GOP's $6.3 million.)

Not only that, an Associated Press tally of cash raised through independent groups in the first quarter gives Democrats a 3-to-1 edge over similar Republican groups. That number, though, is somewhat misleading, given how many conservative groups including the Koch brothers' powerful Americans for Prosperity don't have to disclose fundraising because of the way they're classified.

And that could be an enormous asterisk. In the new and murky world of political fundraising ushered in by the Supreme Court's Citizen's United ruling in 2010, "the two parties simply spend money especially outside money very differently," Politico concludes in a rundown of the fundraising tally.

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Democrats 'whooping' Republicans in fundraising game or are they? (+video)

With enrollments higher than expected, and costs lower, some Democrats say it's time to stop hiding from the president's health care overhaul, even in this year's toughest Senate elections.

Republicans practically dare Democrats to embrace "Obamacare," the GOP's favorite target in most congressional campaigns. Yet pro-Democratic activists in Alaska are doing just that, and a number of strategists elsewhere hope it will spread.

President Barack Obama recently announced that first-year sign-ups for subsidized private health insurance topped 7 million, exceeding expectations. And the Congressional Budget Office the government's fiscal scorekeeper said it expects only a minimal increase in customers' costs for 2015. Over the next decade, the CBO said the new law will cost taxpayers $100 billion less than previously estimated.

Republicans already were pushing their luck by vowing to "repeal and replace" the health care law without having a viable replacement in mind, said Thomas Mills, a Democratic consultant and blogger in North Carolina. Now, he said, Democrats have even more reasons to rise from their defensive crouch on this topic.

"Democrats need to start making the case for Obamacare," Mills said. "They all voted for it, they all own it, so they can't get away from it. So they'd better start defending it."

Even some professionals who have criticized the health care law say the political climate has changed.

"I think Democrats have the ability to steal the health care issue back from Republicans," health care industry consultant said Bob Laszewski said. "The Democratic Party can become the party of fixing Obamacare."

In truth, some Democratic lawmakers often talk of "fixing" the 2010 health care law. But it's usually in response to critics or in a manner meant to show their willingness to challenge Obama.

For instance, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who faces a tough re-election bid, used her first TV ad of the campaign to highlight her demand that Obama let people keep insurance policies they like.

But Landrieu and other hard-pressed Democrats have not gone as far as a pro-Democratic group in Alaska that is unabashedly highlighting the health law's strongest points.

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Let's Defend 'Obamacare,' Some Democrats Say

Obama: GOP Wants To Stop Democrats From Voting
President Obama speaks to Rev. Al Sharpton #39;s National Action Network in New York. He says Republican attempts to pass hard at restrictive voting rights laws ...

By: UpTakeVideo

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Obama: GOP Wants To Stop Democrats From Voting - Video

Nunes: Democrats want to keep shutdown going
Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., says Democratic congressmen tell him they want to prolong shutdown, and are encouraging GOP.

By: britnay oswaldo

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Nunes: Democrats want to keep shutdown going - Video

The Ocean County Democratic Committee is proud to have successfully elected Democrats up and down the ticket throughout the years. On all levels of government and within our own party, our Democratic leadership have been tireless advocates for our vision and our values.

President Obamas years of public service are based around his unwavering belief in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose. In the Illinois State Senate, he passed the first major ethics reform in 25 years, cut taxes for working families, and expanded health care for children and their parents. As a United States Senator, he reached across the aisle to pass groundbreaking lobbying reform, lock up the worlds most dangerous weapons, and bring transparency to government by putting federal spending online.

President Obama and his wife Michelle are the proud parents of two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

During his 36 years in the U.S. Senate, Biden established himself as a leader on some of our nations most important domestic and international issues. As the Chairman or Senior Democrat of the Senate Judiciary Committee for 17 years, then-Senator Biden was widely recognized for his work on criminal justice issues, including the landmark 1994 Crime Bill and the Violence Against Women Act. Biden also served as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. foreign policy. He has been at the forefront of legislation related to terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, post-Cold War Europe, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia.

Vice President Biden and his wife Jill have three children: Ashley, Beau, and Hunter. They also have two daughters-in-law and five grandchildren.

Senator Menendez has served as a school board member, a mayor and a state legislator. Since 1993, he has been standing up for New Jersey families in Washington, where he rose to become the third- highest ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives and has taken on a prominent leadership role in the U.S. Senate. In Congress, Bob is working to make a real difference in the lives of New Jerseyans. That includes working to achieve economic security for families by creating jobs, promoting clean energy development, providing tax relief, investing in education, making health care more affordable and protecting consumers.

Throughout Cory Bookers career, he hasnt run away from big problems; hes run towards them. From leading legal clinics in New Haven, Conn. as a law student to taking on one of the most powerful and entrenched political machines in New Jersey, Booker has built a record of bringing people together around tough challenges and delivering results that improved peoples lives.

As Senator, Cory Booker will take his collaborative approach to addressing the challenges facing the entire state focusing on creating new jobs, strengthening small businesses and improving opportunity for all New Jerseyans. He was elected in October 2013 to fill out the expiring term of the late Senator Frank Lautenberg. Booker is a member of the Senates Commerce, Small Business and Entrepreneurship and Environment and Public Works Committees

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Ocean County Democrats Your Democratic Party Leadership