Three takeaways as Democratic donors pour cash into fight for Senate

Democrats are facing an uphill battle to keep control of the Senate, but new fundraising reports show they are building up an early cash advantage for the fight.

Fundraising bursts have helped Democrats win tough races in recent years, with donors opening up their wallets after Donald Trump’s presidential election win in 2016 and fueling a “green wave” to boost Democratic candidates.

That green wave is building once again, according to fundraising reports covering the first three months of the year, which were filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission.

But it remains to be seen whether the money can carry Democrats to victory in a year in which they’re on defense in some GOP-leaning states. Republicans need a net gain of just one or two seats to take control of the Senate, depending on which party wins the White House, since the vice president casts tie-breaking votes in the Senate.

Here are three takeaways from the fundraising reports in Senate races that the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter rates as competitive:

1. Democrats are stockpiling cash …

In the 10 states with competitive Senate races, Democrats are stockpiling millions of dollars ahead of November.

Per an NBC News analysis of candidates who raised more than $50,000 in the first quarter, Democrats in those 10 races ended the quarter with a combined $100 million in their campaign accounts — more than twice as much as the Republican candidates, who had a combined $42.5 million on hand.

Democrats ended the quarter with more cash on hand than their GOP opponents in all but one of the competitive races. Only Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott had more money in his campaign account than his likely Democratic opponent, besting former Rep. Debbie