As next Sunday's critical fundraising deadline looms, the candidates are scrambling to rake in last minute cash.

And many are playing the match game - you give $1, and so-and-so will put in $1. You get the idea.

"If you contribute by midnight Saturday, your donation will be matched by a group of my most dedicated supporters. That will mean that your contribution will do twice as much to reach Iowa and New Hampshire voters," New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson told supporters this morning in a matching e-mail tied to ending the war in Iraq.

"Contributing right now means your gift will be worth twice as much to our cause," he added. "I'll use your contribution to help in our efforts to communicate my Richardson Plan for ending the Iraq war and bringing all our troops home."

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is matching too.

"Somebody out there believes that you're ready to own a piece of this campaign. A fellow supporter has promised that if you make a donation right now, they will match what you give. Prove to them that they were right to put their faith in you," David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, said in his appeal.

The Obama e-mail adds you will be matched up with a "real person" who will send you a personal note, the latest jab at Sen. Hillary Clinton's ties to "Washington lobbyists."

"Our movement is funded by actual people -- individuals who are moved to give whatever they can afford, whether it's five dollars or five hundred dollars," Plouffe writes.

"Most campaigns do not realize the value of contributions from ordinary people -- they are focused on the money that comes from Washington lobbyists and special interest groups," he says. "But we reject the notion that lobbyists and PACs represent 'real people,' and we've refused their money since this campaign began."

The fundraising e-mail comes with a nifty graphic, which looks good, but the faceless images seem to fly in the face of soliciting "real people."

Continuing the match theme, a DCCC e-mail from James Carville says a donation will "keep the Republicans on the run" and will be matched 2-to-1.

Also, just noticing:

When you sign up for former Sen. Mike Gravel's (D-Alaska) newsletter, you get this welcome note:

"I want to thank you for trusting me with your email and information. It will remain with me and not be shared.
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We have an exciting campaign moving full steam now! Don't believe what the news tells you. Obama and Hillary do not have this race in the bag!"

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times