The shake down is on, even for longtime Missouri Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., who is way ahead in the polls.

In a Sept. 10 plea to potential donors sent along with a fundraiser invite, Emerson used her opponent’s fundraising acumen as Exhibit A for why she needed yet more money.

She wrote: “We were ready for a Democratic opponent, and I got one. Tommy Sowers is a very aggressive fundraiser who developed an extensive network of key supporters around the country. His campaign was helped when the DCCC targeted me in their Red to Blue Program.”

Emerson’s note illustrates how direct lawmakers can be when trying to raise funds. Most of the invitations that come over the transom to Party Time are sent to lobbyists without a personal note, or if there is one, it usually is written by a professional fundraiser asking for funds on a candidate’s behalf. But in this case, Emerson makes the ask herself.

She was trying to get donors to contribute $1,000 to attend a “Special Missouri Barbeque” tonight at the Capitol Hill office building of the lobbying group Cornerstone Government Affairs. The firm’s lobbyists have deep experience with the Appropriations Committee, of which Emerson is a member.

In the letter, Emerson writes that she is not taking the election for granted, and she vows to raise $2.5 million to defeat a candidate who she is currently trouncing in her own polling.

“I have seen candidates who celebrated in September and wept in November,” she wrote.

Cornerstone specializes in working with the Appropriations Committee, according to its website. Emerson is a member of the subcommittee in charge of agriculture, and also takes in more campaign contributions from that sector than any other, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Among Cornerstone’s many lobbyists are agriculture industry specialists and former Appropriations Committee hands Tim Sanders and Hunt Shipman.

Both were listed as hosts on another invitation to an Emerson fundraiser at Cornerstone one year ago. Sanders is former staffer of the Appropriations subcommittee responsible for agriculture. He used to head the firm’s agricultural appropriations team, but now works for Cornerstone as a senior consultant.

Shipman was a staffer for the Senate Appropriations Committee, an executive with the National Food Processors Association, and a Department of Agriculture official. According to his bio, his “longstanding ties to the agricultural industry have allowed him to effectively serve some of its largest interests since joining Cornerstone in 2006.”

Emerson’s challenger, Tommy Sowers, raised a bit over $1 million compared to her nearly $1.5 million as of mid-July, according to data from CRP. In the letter to donors, dated Sept. 10, Emerson wrote that she had raised $1.8 million.

Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) will be hosting a Spa Afternoon at the W Hotel in DC later today.

According to the invitation, guests have a fair shot at getting their money’s worth.  $500 to attend or $1,500 for PAC hosts will land guests upwards of three hours at the Bliss Spa where massage packages range from $70 for a 30 minute rapid rub™ to $235 for a 105 minute “deep tissue treatment.” (See a full spa menu on Bliss’ terrible incredible pun-filled website here).

While many golf outings are billed as “golf and spa weekend” packages, today’s fundraiser is unique in that Granger is ditching the golf  aspect entirely.  The event is one of only two spa-only functions in the Party Time database.

Reps. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) and Sue Myrick (R-NC) are also listed as guests on the invitation.  Emerson is the only other member of Congress in our database to host a spa-only event.