[img_assist|nid=2363|title=U.S. Rep. John Shadegg|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=175|height=214]WASHINGTON - House and Senate Republicans are rushing to the aid of U.S. Rep. John Shadegg (R-Phoenix), the seven-term congressman who finds himself in a surprisingly difficult fight for re-election.

U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, has asked members of the committee to open their wallets for Shadegg, a former chair and sitting member of the committee, according to a Capitol Hill aide familiar with the fundraising effort. With members out of town, Hensarling's member-to-member appeals have taken place over the phone.

Shadegg is competing against Democratic attorney Bob Lord in a race that was widely seen as Shadegg's to lose. But with the political atmosphere toxic for Republicans, Democrats have grown increasingly optimistic of their prospects of winning the Phoenix-area seat. As of Tuesday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had spent more than $1 million on television advertisements and mailers hammering Shadegg.

The cash-strapped National Republican Congressional Committee has yet to spend independent expenditure money on Shadegg's race, according to campaign filings. But U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), who heads up the NRCC's Battleground fundraising program, has given the Arizona Republican $2,000 and is making fundraising calls on Shadegg's behalf, according to a Sessions aide.

A GOP strategist familiar with Shadegg's campaign said the DCCC's decision to invest heavily in the race sounded alarm bells for the Republican establishment. Shadegg is widely seen as something of a conservative icon in the nation's capitol.

"The DCCC coming in, that changed the landscape," said the strategist.

From the opposite chamber, U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Phoenix) has been active in the effort to fill Shadegg's coffers. According to a GOP source familiar with the effort, Kyl has been encouraging senate colleagues to contribute to Shadegg's campaign, including National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Ensign (R-Nev.), who has contributed $5,000. Kyl himself has given $5,000.

Public polling shows the race increasingly competitive but with Shadegg holding an edge. An October Research 2000 poll conducted for Daily Kos showed Shadegg leading Lord 48 percent to 39 percent.

The DCCC, for its part, has released a poll showing Lord leading Shadegg 45 percent to 44 percent, with Libertarian Michael Shoen picking up 5 percent.