Funny and impressive: Today, Republican Congressman Jim Greenwood (PA district 8) announced that he wouldn't be seeking reelection. His Dem opponent, Virginia "Ginny" Schrader, hadn't been given very good odds to beat him, but is now running for an open seat with a much better chance of winning.

The Daily Kos community (as well as other blogs) jumped on the news, encouraging donations to add to her total cash on hand of around $7000.

Well, as of 8pm tonight, she's got three times what she had this morning. Daaamn!

I just spoke with Virginia "Ginny" Schrader, and the news is spectacular. Between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET, her campaign has raised $14K online. Some from Daily Kos, some from other sources. This is a blogosphere-wide phenomenon.

...more importantly, she hasn't been asked by any prominent local or state Dems to step aside for someone else. That doesn't mean that the party can't change its mind once it has analyzed the situation with a sober mind, but 1) Ginny has put her entire life on hold for this race, and isn't about to drop it, and 2) the money coming in tonight will act as insurance, helping put to rest the "she can't raise money" excuse they might otherwise deploy.

Despite her limited resources, Ginny has already assembled a staff of five full-timers and a host of full-time volunteers, and has been receiving the enthusiastic help of local Dean groups (including one across state lines in New Jersey).

Hah! Indeed!

J and I just tossed her a few bucks too.

Help pry the Congress away from the right wing: Donate to Ginny Schrader.