Union-backed group aims to protect vulnerable Democrats

Amid an onslaught of outside GOP money, a new group funded by Democratic allies is launching ads to protect vulnerable Democrats in hotly contested Senate races across the country.

Commonsense Ten, co-founded by longtime Democratic strategist and former John Kerry aide Jim Jordan, has spent nearly $2.5 million on ads in the last week attacking GOP Senate candidates in Washington, West Virginia, Colorado and Kentucky.

The group, which was founded in June but only recently became active, is filed as a so-called 527 political committee, which means it can raise and spend unlimited amounts of cash to influence the 2010 campaign. In a report filed Monday, the group disclosed that it had raised nearly $1 million through Sept. 30—mostly from labor unions.

Among the big donors: $400,000 from the American Teachers Union, $250,000 from the Service Industry Employees International Union, $75,000 from the Teamsters and $50,000 from the United Auto Workers. Emily's List kicked in $75,000, while an Illinois law firm (Simmons Browder Gianaris Angelides & Barnerd) contributed $25,000. The committee's only individual donor was Barrett Toan, a former CEO of a Missouri-based pharmacy benefits company, who contributed $50,000.

The scale of its expenditures in recent days indicates that the group has almost certainly raised more cash in October. According to FEC filings late last week, Commonsense Ten spent nearly $1.2 million on an ad attacking Republican Ken Buck in Colorado and another $100,000 on a spot opposing GOP nominee Rand Paul in Kentucky.

On Tuesday, the group launched a TV ad attacking GOP Senate candidate Dino Rossi in Washington State for his ties to lobbyists. Though Commonsense Ten has not yet filed notice with the FEC, the ad buy is reportedly in the $1 million range. The spot alleges that lobbyists helped Rossi buy an apartment building and later a bank. Now, a narrator says, lobbyists are "hosting his fundraisers and financing his campaign."

"There's an old saying, Dino," a narrator says, over footage of a dog scratching itself. "You lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas."

You can watch the ad here:

(Screenshot of Commonsense Ten ad)