WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. Susan Collins’ matchup against Democratic Rep. Tom Allen in Maine’s U.S. Senate race is drawing large amounts of money from out-of-state donors, a sign that the race is national in scope and competitive, according to scholars, analysts and officials from both parties.

“I don’t think there is any question that this is one of the most competitive races in the country, and I think contributions from across the country signify that,” said Nathan Gonzales, political editor of The Rothenberg Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter that focuses on campaigns. “We’re seeing donors from outside the state give because they realize this is a very competitive race, and it’s a seat Republicans need to hold and Democrats have a chance of gaining.”

Collins, the incumbent, closed 2007 with a 20-point lead, according to a November poll by Critical Insights, a market research firm in Portland.

Collins also raised more funds than Allen in 2007 and had more cash in her campaign account at year’s end, the most recent reporting period. Allen raised $2.8 million in 2007 compared with Collins’ $3.8 million, according to their filings with the Federal Election Commission. She also began 2007 with a larger war chest and spent less money through the year. Collins ended 2007 with $3.9 million in her campaign wallet as opposed to Allen’s $2.5 million.

Since her re-election in 2002, Collins has raised about $4.5 million. Federal campaigns are required to ask for personal information – address and employer, for example – from donors who give more than $200. Collins had raised $2.6 million in such contributions through the end of 2007, of which about 73 percent – $1.9 million – came from out of state, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that collects and studies campaign contribution data. This placed her eighth among Senate candidates in terms of percentage of funds raised out of state, according to the center.

Allen, who was re-elected in 2006, raised about $1.8 million in chunks of $200 or more, of which roughly 66 percent – $1.2 million – came from outside Maine, placing him third on a list of House incumbents.

Any time candidates raise a lot of money from outside their state it’s an indication the race is on the national radar, said Massie Ritsch, the center’s communications director.

“They have received these funds because of the national importance of this race,” said Sandy Maisel, director of Colby College’s Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement. “Influences outside the state of Maine – political candidates, interest groups, political parties – understand the importance of this race.”

Most of these supporters have Washington, New York or California ZIP codes, Ritsch said.

“Having an incumbent senator and a sitting member of the House both as candidates, they both have a large network to draw from when trying to get support,” said Gonzales from The Rothenberg Political Report.

Allen has received more contributions from party committees than any other candidate in the country, pulling in more than $40,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Allen also raised more than $79,000 from other candidates, including $10,000 – the maximum amount a political action committee can give – from the Hope Fund, Sen. Barack Obama’s leadership PAC, and $10,000 from the Searchlight Leadership Fund, the leadership PAC for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. A leadership PAC is a committee a politician establishes separately from his campaign PAC, primarily used to give contributions to colleagues.

The Democratic Party is sending money to Allen because Collins is a sitting Republican in a blue state in a region of the country where “Republicans are an endangered species,” Gonzales said. “Any Republican in a blue state is going to gain attention from the Democratic Party.”

As the Democrats funnel money to Allen, Republicans are trying to keep up. The Republican Party has given Collins more than $5,000 so far this election cycle. She also has received more than $300,000 – more than any other congressional candidate nationwide – from other politicians.

Her benefactors include independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the former Democrat who still caucuses with his former party and chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, of which Collins is the top-ranking Republican. Lieberman contributed $10,000 from his leadership PAC, Responsibility, Opportunity, Community. Fellow Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine contributed $4,000 from her personal campaign fund.

“Senator Collins is very popular in the Senate and her colleagues want to bring her back,” said Rebecca Fisher, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “The Republican Party also doesn’t want to lose more seats and this has been considered a vulnerable seat, although Collins seems to have made the case that she doesn’t have one of the vulnerable seats any more. She’s proven herself well as a candidate and is well liked.”

In smaller states such as Maine, candidates can’t rely solely on the financial support of their constituents because there isn’t much political cash to raise, said Ritsch. But while much of her money comes from out-of-state donors, Collins has received contributions from local Mainers, such as the recently deceased philanthropist Harold Alfond and Chris McCormick, president of L.L. Bean, said Steve Abbott, Collins’ campaign manager. Both Alfond and McCormick donated $2,300 each, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Other major sources of largely out-of-state contributions for the two candidates are corporate PACs and advocacy groups. Collins ranked third among Senate candidates in the amount she raised from PACs, having raised more than $1.6 million. Her top five sources of funding were PACs, employees and family members of corporations, including defense contractor Raytheon, which contributed $22,250 in PAC and individual contributions, and Time Warner, which gave $18,100, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Abbott argued that the PAC donations also represent contributions from individuals within different companies and industries.

Allen’s top contributor was the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org, which encourages its members to donate directly to candidates.

“Many thousands of MoveOn members reside in Maine, but these donations are coming from throughout the nation,” said Carol Andrews, spokeswoman for the Allen campaign.

Andrews also said that while Allen has received more than $57,000 in contributions of $200 or more, much of his contributions from MoveOn members are coming in small increments, $20, $10, $5 or even $2. These small donations are not included in the more than $57,000 reported by the center.

Allen’s FEC filings show that to date he has received a total of $365,804 from MoveOn.

“They’re regular people who want change and see Tom Allen as a direct route to get change,” Andrews said.

Collins also receives small contributions, but for both campaigns the “bulk of the campaign is financed by major donors,” said Steve Abbott, Collins’ campaign manager. The Collins campaign raised 1,826 contributions of $500 or more, while the Allen campaign raised 1,580 contributions of $500 or more, according to data released by the Collins campaign.

Both parties acknowledge that money isn’t everything.

“Money helps but there have been a lot of cases in the past where money hasn’t won the race,” said Fisher of the Republican Party.

In 2006, six U.S. Senate incumbents were defeated and in each case the winner raised less than the incumbent, said Matt Miller, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

With close to $4 million in Collins’ wallet and about $2.5 million left for Allen to spend, it’s safe to say both candidates will have enough to run their campaigns, said Gonzales of The Rothenberg Political Report.

“What’s important isn’t always the money, but the message,” said Miller.

“Congressman Allen needs to make his case to the voters that Senator Collins needs to be fired. The majority of voters like the job she is doing and he needs to change how voters in Maine look at their senator,” Gonzales said. “Both candidates are going to have the money they need; now it’s just about which will have the message to prevail.”

The Center for Responsive Politics Web site is at www.opensecrets.org.