Thanks to the pending retirement of Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., New Mexico will have an open Senate seat come fall 2012. Although the primary election has yet to happen, the seat looks likely to be filled by a representative from New Mexico’s 1st district, either the current or the former. Rep. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and former Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., are both candidates to replace Bingaman and will likely receive the nomination of their respective parties. The last FEC quarterly reports from their campaigns show comparably sized accounts and both have been busy with fundraisers in recent weeks, some of which have been hosted by influential party operatives.

On the night of July 6, Wilson will join at least 25 hosts at Capitol Hill Tower for a Wine Tasting Reception. Twelve of those hosts are registered lobbyists, including Joe Moser, a former legislative assistant and legislative director to Wilson from her days in the House. Also listed on the invitation are Loren Monroe and George Ramonas, both of whom were once staffers to former New Mexico senator Pete Domenici. The wine tasting is scheduled to be a small dollar event with listed contributions from $100 to $500.

A few weeks earlier on June 16, Wilson scheduled a reception at the Army Navy Golf Club. The event was hosted by a group of retired air force generals including former director of the NSA and CIA Michael Hayden, as well as former Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne. Wilson herself is a graduate of the Air Force Academy. The suggested contribution for the event was $500 for an individual and $1,000 for a PAC.

While Rep. Heinrich may not have the military connections of his likely opponent, he has done some fundraising with otherwise well-connected lobbyists. On May 24, Heinrich was the beneficiary of an evening reception at the rooftop at 1101 Pennsylvania Ave NW. Ten lobbyists were scheduled to host the event, including former staffers of Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Herb Kohl, D-Wis, as well as former Sen. Tom Daschle and Rep. Rahm Emmanuel among others. The price to attend the reception was a low $250 for an individual and $500 for a PAC.

Former Indiana Rep. Mark Souder, who resigned his state’s 3rd Congressional District seat last month after admitting to an affair, still had a slew of upcoming fundraisers according to invites sent to Party Time.

There were at least four events scheduled for this month, and a golf outing in August.

So, we wondered, would the show still go on? A quick call to Souder’s former chief of staff Renee Hudson confirmed that the events have all been canceled.

Among House members, Souder was one of the more prolific fundraisers before resigning; holding 21 events this year, according to Party Time’s database, which only captures a portion of the district’s political fundraisers sent to us.

Souder’s seat won’t be filled until November, as Indiana’s Governor has decided to hold the special election to coincide with the general election. The Democratic nominee, Tom Hayhurst, a former Fort Wayne city council member, has already been selected. Meanwhile, Republican committee members from Indiana’s Third District will meet on Saturday to pick a new GOP candidate.

Five Republican candidates hope to be the GOP pick in the race for the Senate seat currently held by Evan Bayh in the May 4 Indiana Primary. Bayh announced in February that he would not seek re-election because he no longer loves congress; polling data suggested the two-termer faced an uphill battle for reelection.

Many of the Republican candidates have received endorsements from current members of Congress. Rep. Mike Pence, of Indiana’s 6th congressional district, endorsed former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats for the job; Coats was recruited by national party officials to run. So far, Coats is the Republican front-runner, and has raised nearly $500,000–mostly from individual contributions, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. His most recent fundraiser in Party Time’s database was a $2,400-per-person reception and dinner at Bobby Van’s Grill on March 22.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., made headlines by backing Indiana State Senator Marlin A. Stutzmann, who displays the endorsement prominently on his website. Stutzman has raised a little more than $250,000, according to CRP.

Other GOP candidates include former 8th congressional district Rep. John Hostettler, financial adviser Don Bates Jr., and businessman Richard Behney. Hostettler, who has raised about $52,000, has received the endorsement of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.

The winner of the GOP primary will face Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth, of Indiana’s 8th Congressional District, who has raised more than $1 million; Ellsworth does not face a primary opponent–he was chosen by officials in Indiana’s state Democratic party.

Though he won’t run again, Bayh has held two fundraisers; one on April 2, hosted by the high-profile law and lobbying firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer, and one on March 10th, for a concert hosted by the staff of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions.

Before announcing their decision yesterday to retire from the Senate, both Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), were actively fundraising.

Dodd has about $2.4 million cash on hand in his campaign and leadership PAC accounts, according to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP). Dorgan has $4 million.

What will they do with this cash? Federal law says they must either return contributions, pay down campaign expenses, give the money to charity, or transfer to other candidates. They can also hold on to campaign funds for future use. Our own Luke Rosiak reported in 2008 for CRP on how many retiring lawmakers appear to use much of their accumulated cash to pay for meals and other entertainment.

The senators may also use their clout to help raise cash for Senate Democrats. Dorgan recently was one of several senators to lend his name as a draw for a December 14 fundraiser for Lee Fisher, who is running for Ohio’s Senate open seat.

See Dodd’s fundraisers here.

See Dorgan’s fundraisers here.