Sen. Chuck Schumer said that Sen. Elizabeth Dole's new ad is "desperate."

Speaking with McClatchy reporter Maria Recio today, the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said he thinks that the race is close between Dole and Democrat Kay Hagan, whom he helped recruit to run.

"I think we're ahead in North Carolina," he said. "It's a hardly fought race. If you saw the ad she put up yesterday, I think Liddy Doles' getting a little desperate. It's a close race, no question about it. I  think we're ahead."

Sen. Elizabeth Dole said she has put some of own money into her re-election campaign, but declined to say how much until her campaign report comes out on Friday.

She called her personal money "an investment" and putting "some skin in the game," Rob Christensen reports.

Dole, a Republican seeking re-election, said she has raised $3 million in campaign contributions since July 1. Her opponent, Democrat Kay Hagan, reported raising $2.6 mllion during that period.

But Dole said she was concerned about all the money being spent against her in the independent ad camapign paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

"Ten million dollars of of it is coming in right after me in some of the most ugly, nasty ads I have ever seen," Dole said.

"It's like you are running against Chuck Schumer to be honest," Dole said, referring to the New York Democratic senator who is chairman of the Senate committee.

She said that she can’t even turn on her favorite program, "Law and Order," without being bombarded by Senatorial committee ads attacking her.

"I think Chuck found out I like Law and Order," Dole said.

John McCain is buying air time in North Carolina.

The Republican presidential candidate had not previously aired TV ads specifically here, although North Carolinians had seen other ads on national cable shows.

Following earlier attacks on the Democratic candidate as a "celebrity," the ad shows footage of Barack Obama's Berlin speech.

"Take away the crowds, the chants — all that's left are costly words," a female narrator says. "Barack Obama and out-of-touch Congressional leaders have expensive plans, billions in new government spending, years of deficits, no balanced budgets and painful tax increases on working American families."

The ad then shows pictures of Obama and U.S. Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Harry Reid of Nevada, Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Chuck Schumer of New York.

The choice of "Congressional leaders" is interesting. Dodd is a former Democratic presidential candidate, Reid is the Senate Majority Leader, Leahy an antagonist of Vice President Dick Cheney and Schumer is heading the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Still, these are faces better known to Washington insiders — Dome and his colleagues had to play the ad three times to name them all — and Reid is shown twice. None are running for re-election this year and the ad is not running in any of their states.

In days gone by, Republicans would have linked Obama to Ted Kennedy, though his cancer may have made him too sympathetic to serve that purpose. Still, the absence of Hillary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi is worth pondering.

Everyone had an opinion this week.

A judge opined on a lawsuit, a senator gave his thoughts on a campaign and a candidate made a snarky remark on his rival's methods.

All were among the most-read posts this week:

1. No Moore Lawsuit. A Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit alleging state Treasurer Richard Moore withheld public records. About three months too late for Moore's taste.

2. Chuck's Fired Up. New York Sen. Charles Schumer says Democratic Senate nominee Kay Hagan is "on fire." And a group he leads has $6 million of gasoline.

3. No Bail Out. State lawmakers declined to bail out the health plan after the House and Senate couldn't agree. Hey, at least they agreed on the budget.

4. Silly Seasoning. Republican gubernatorial nominee Pat McCrory complains that a Beverly Perdue staffer is recording him. At least he got $50 out of it.

5. No Futures. The U.S. House decides to look into suggestions by Rep. Bob Etheridge to curb excessive speculation on oil futures. Does that include TV pundits?

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole was fairly bipartisan in the 2003-04 session.

With the candidates for Senate touting their records of bipartisanship, Dome has been taking a closer look at the number of Democrats who signed on to legislation Dole sponsored.

In the 2003-04 session, the Salisbury Republican was the primary sponsor of 16 bills. Of them, eight had no cosponsors and eight had Democratic cosponsors.

A bill to award the Congressional Medal of Honor to British Prime Minister Tony Blair had 48 Republican cosponsors and 30 Democrats, including Sens. Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, Joe Lieberman and Chuck Schumer.

Overall, that boosted her Democratic cosponsors to 48, compared to 66 Republican cosponsors, or about a three-to-two ratio.

Her most frequent Democratic cosponsor was fellow North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who signed on to the Blair honors, a bill to recognize the Lumbee tribe, an amendment on a Medicare bill and another amendment.

Previously: Dole's cosponsors in 2005-06 and 2007-08.

Jim Neal got another shoutout on the Internet.

Huffington Post blogger Howie Klein argued that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman Chuck Schumer is not supporting "grassroots candidates" like Neal.

Jim Neal is a Blue America-endorsed candidate who wants to take on Senator Dole in North Carolina. Although DSCC head Chuck Schumer claims, rather ingenuously, that he stays neutral in hotly contested primaries, there are at least two big ones this year where he is backing Insider Establishment candidates who give every indication that they will not support core Democratic initiatives.

Neal is running for the U.S. Senate nomination against state Sen. Kay Hagan. 

Hat Tip: Mark Binker 

Sen. Chuck Schumer argues that North Carolina's Senate seat could be in play.

In a short video clip sent to donors, the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee asks for more money from around the country to help increase the majority in the Senate.

"We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity because in states like North Carolina and Mississippi and Kentucky, we are so close, but no Democrat is going to raise much money in those states because there just isn't much Democratic money," he says.

By some accounts, Schumer helped recruit state Sen. Kay Hagan to run against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole. Chapel Hill investment banker Jim Neal is also in the Democratic primary. 

See the video here. 

The Magic Eight Ball has a new contender.

On the Talking About Politics blog, Democratic political consultant Gary Pearce claims that state Sen. Kay Hagan is thinking of running against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole after all.

The Greensboro Democrat earlier ruled out a race, Pearce contends, because national Democrats were wooing state Rep. Grier Martin, who passed on the idea.

Now Hagan is reconsidering. She’s being wooed by North Carolina Democrats – and by Schumer. The garrulous New Yorker’s first task was to eat crow with Hagan.

We asked the plastic toy gathering dust on our desk. Its response: You may rely on it.

Update: N.C. Spin has also weighed in, saying Hagan is running.

Second Update: Greensboro blogger Ed Cone and the Swing State Project also say she's in.

Third Update: Greensboro N&R reporter Mark Binker says he's heard the rumors too, as has the Raleigh Soup.