WASHINGTON -- When it comes to raising money, Roy Blunt is finding that oil companies and other corporate donors enjoy writing checks to groups of Republican Senate hopefuls.
Robin Carnahan thinks it would be good to stop taking money from other politicians' so-called leadership PACS -- but not just yet, according to donations she listed in her latest fundraising disclosure report.
New reports also show Carnahan has appeal in Hollywood, judging by the $2,400 she received this spring from famed director Steven Spielberg.
The reports on file at the Federal Election Commission show a web of fundraising committees that the candidates rely on, especially Blunt.
Blunt, a veteran congressman from southwest Missouri, outraised Carnahan, Missouri's secretary of state, $2.2 million to $1.5 million in the most recent quarter. He holds a nearly $900,000 cash advantage in their high-profile contest likely to take place.
Those totals were disclosed by the candidates earlier this week; the sources of all that cash were not public until now.
Blunt's backing from oil companies and energy interests has been a campaign trail topic in the aftermath of the BP oil disaster in the Gulf.
The reports show that oil, coal and other energy interests were among several dozen PACS that donated liberally to an entity called the Senators Classic Committee, which divided much of $664,000 in proceeds among Blunt and a dozen other Republican hopefuls and GOP senators running for re-election.
Contributors to the Republican committee included ExxonMobil, Chevron, Marathon Oil, Occidental Petroleum and Halliburton. Blunt enjoyed proceeds of slightly more than $30,000 from the joint effort, less than most of the other Senate aspirants.
That committee is one of at least a half-dozen fundraising entities that Blunt is deploying. Among them are two enabling Blunt to share proceeds with Rep. Mark Kirk, the Republican nominee in Illinois for the Senate seat opened by Barack Obama's election to the White House.
Kirk's $2.3 million in receipts during the second quarter easily topped the $900,000 collected by Democratic nominee Alexi Giannoulias, the state treasurer, the candidates reported earlier this week.
Carnahan, too, is raising money jointly with other Senate hopefuls. She took in $29,000 raising money with Rep. Paul Hodes of New Hampshire and $13,000 after coordinating with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
Carnahan this week called for changes in ethics rules, among them a ban on leadership PACs -- loosely regulated funds controlled by politicians in addition to their re-election committees. They are typically funded by corporate PACs and most senators and many House members have them.
Carnahan said she would stop accepting leadership PAC money if Blunt did, but the outcome of that challenge waits to play out: She took in more than $25,000 in the recent three-month period from leadership PACs -- about half of what Blunt received from those entities.
Carnahan continues to enjoy strong support from EMILY's List, the advocacy group that raises money for Democratic women who are pro-choice on the issue of abortion. Thus far in this election cycle, EMILY's List has bundled $168,000 in contributions for Carnahan.
Contribution in the disclosure reports reflect many clear distinctions between the likely combatants in the race for the seat opened by the retirement of Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, a Republican.
While Blunt is relying heavily on corporate money, Carnahan received donations from more than a dozen labor unions. She also accepted contributions from wind energy sources, contrasting with Blunt's oil and gas proceeds.
Blunt's contributions included $3,000 from the King Ranch Inc. PAC in Houston. Among the individual donations to Carnahan was a $250 check from the actor Kevin Kline, a St. Louis native.
