Although Republicans are significantly outnumbered in the Senate, their party’s national campaign organization has achieved near-parity in fundraising over the first two-thirds of this year.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) raised $3.1 million in August, compared to $2.2 million for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), according to detailed reports filed in the Senate Office of Public Records in Washington and analyzed by CQ Politics.

That one-month advantage for the Republican campaign unit shrunk the Democrats’ total edge for the first eight months of 2009 to just $1 million: $27.5 million to $26.5 million.

It was a different story at this point two years ago, when the DSCC’s receipts exceeded those reported by the NRSC by $16 million eight months into the election cycle that led up to the 2008 elections.

At the end of August 2005 — when Republicans held a seemingly secure 55-45 Senate majority — the DSCC had outraised the NRSC by $3 million.

The two opposing Senate campaign organizations have raised their money in different ways during this current campaign cycle. The NRSC has raised more from individual donors than the DSCC, which is more reliant on political committees, and also taken in a much larger percentage of its donations than the DSCC in smaller contributions that are not itemized on campaign reports.

The Democratic committee has outperformed its GOP counterpart in raising money from political action committees (PACs), which generally like to curry favor with the party they think will retain majority status after the next elections.

The DSCC received a $25,000 contribution from the campaign committee of Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown , who was the only senator of either party to give money to a Senate campaign committee in August. Brown won his seat in Ohio’s 2006 election and is not up for election again until 2012.

The DSCC reported an outlay of $21,000 to the firm Revolution Messaging LLC for text messages promoting seven Democratic candidates in 2010 races — four of them incumbents and three non-incumbents.

The four incumbents are Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Michael Bennet of Colorado and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. Reid’s high profile on controversial issues as Senate leader has made him unexpectedly vulnerable; Specter is battling to win a sixth term after switching from the Republican Party last April; and both Bennet and Gillibrand are defending seats to which they were appointed last January to fill vacancies.

The non-incumbents are Robin Carnahan, the secretary of state in Missouri, who is running for the seat left open by retiring Republican Christopher S. Bond ; Rep. Kendrick B. Meek of Florida, a candidate for the seat formerly held by resigned Republican Sen. Mel Martinez and now occupied by interim Republican Sen. George S. LeMieux; and Rep. Paul W. Hodes of New Hampshire, who is running to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Judd Gregg .

The DSCC also transferred small sums to some Democratic organizations in states that will host highly competitive Senate races: Louisiana ($2,750); Ohio ($1,250); New Hampshire ($1,250); Missouri ($1,250); and Colorado ($1,000). Republicans are the defending party in all but Colorado, with David Vitter seeking a second term in Louisiana and George V. Voinovich retiring in Ohio.

The NRSC reported spending $109,000 last month on legal expenses related to the long recount of the 2008 Minnesota Senate race, which was decided at the end of June in favor of Democrat Al Franken over Republican Norm Coleman, the former incumbent.

• Cash-on-hand, Aug. 31: $6.9 million

• Debts, Aug. 31: $2.9 million