Sen. Orrin Hatch has raised so much money and feels so confident in his re-election that he is funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to his fellow Republicans.
   He sent $200,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee under the label "excess campaign funds," according to the most recent campaign financial disclosures filed last weekend. That amount far exceeds the money his Democratic opponent, Pete Ashdown, has raised for the entire campaign.
   Hatch also sent $69,500 to the state Republican Party and has donated $10,000, the maximum allowed, to each of the Republicans running for Utah's three House districts.
   Republican LaVar Christensen was the only challenger to raise more money than an incumbent opponent since July 1. Christensen raised $46,000 more than 2nd Congressional District Rep. Jim Matheson, though he had to inject $340,000 of his own cash into the race to do it.
   Matheson still has had more than double the amount of cash available to him over the entire campaign cycle that Christensen has.
   Bolstered by a luncheon with President Bush, Hatch had possibly the most prolific fundraising period of his 30-year political career.
   Hatch raised $1.1 million in the past three months, more than all of the other Utah congressional candidates combined, according to campaign financial disclosures.
    Hatch now has $2.9 million in cash, giving him more than 200 times the funds available to Ashdown.
    "It was a good quarter," said Hatch's campaign manager, Dave Hansen. "We will be using what we need for the campaign. We will be helping other candidates. There will be some left over - obviously."
    Still, Ashdown had his best fundraising period, bringing in $76,000. He also donated $25,000 to the campaign to ensure the salaries of his campaign employees are paid.
   Ashdown has continuously criticized Hatch's campaign wealth and the money it takes to run for federal office.
   "I think everyone should have the same opportunity to get their message out and it shouldn't be about how much money you raise," he said.
   Ashdown wants to limit incumbent advantage, either through taxpayer-funded elections or some sort of campaign contribution pool.
   "It is easy to say the system is unfair when you haven't been able to raise very much money," Hansen countered.
   He said challengers in other states have done well despite the fundraising advantage officeholders enjoy.
   Many Washington, D.C., veterans are hoarding their campaign cash, rather than spreading it around like Hatch, fearing recent Republican scandals could turn their normally safe seats into competitive races, according to The Wall Street Journal.
   In scrambling to keep Democrats from picking up six seats and thus control of the Senate, the national Republican Party has recently spent more than $14 million in three key races: Sens. Mike DeWine in Ohio and Jim Talent in Missouri, along with the open Tennessee seat of retiring Majority Leader Bill Frist.
   But Hatch's race is not even close to making the endangered list.
   "We feel that Senator Hatch is very popular," Hansen said. "And as of right now, it looks like the people of Utah want to keep him as their U.S. senator."
   Hatch, the undisputed king of Utah's campaign cash, will appear in TV ads soon, according to Hansen. Matheson and Christensen are the only congressional candidates who have appeared in TV advertisements so far.
   Matheson brushed off Christensen's fundraising and personal loan, saying: "I'm in this race to raise the money it takes to run my own campaign."
   Christensen said he continues to spend his own money so he can focus his energy on talking to voters rather than fundraising.
   "Most candidates will tell you that fundraising consumes them; I wanted to get it out of the way," he said. Unlike previous campaigns, the National Republican Congressional Committee has not helped Matheson's opponent.
   In all other Utah congressional races, the incumbent extended his advantage; and, according to recent polls, no incumbent appears to face a serious challenge.
   First District Rep. Rob Bishop raised $75,000 in the past three months and has $157,000 available. His opponent, Democrat Steve Olsen, collected $15,000 in donations and has $7,000 in cash.
   In the 3rd District, incumbent Rep. Chris Cannon raised $150,000 in the past three months and has $62,000 available. His opponent, Christian Burridge, did not file electronically, but according to his campaign, he raised nearly $27,000 since July, including an $18,000 loan, and has $4,788 left.
   mcanham@sltrib.com