WASHINGTON – Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has the best poll numbers of any Texas politician, a huge campaign account and a safe job from a Republican state. Yet Tuesday night, the Democratic leadership of the Senate joined forces against her, co-hosting a fundraiser for her little-known challenger, lawyer Barbara Ann Radnofsky.

Why would top Democrats line up to help a long shot? Part of the answer stems from the string of GOP setbacks, from the war in Iraq to recent indictments of Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's top aide, and Rep. Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader.

"We believe that next year, there's going to be a very dramatic election campaign," said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, who met Ms. Radnofsky two months ago and decided to give her a boost by recruiting colleagues for the reception. "We've told our incumbents and challengers to be prepared for a much different election cycle."

Ms. Radnofsky echoed that point Tuesday, saying that with an economy "careening toward shambles," the war and GOP scandals, "people want change."

At last count, Ms. Hutchison had nearly $7.4 million in her campaign account. Ms. Radnofsky, a first-time statewide candidate, had raised $584,000.

"I'm not worried," Ms. Hutchison said. "They have the right to support a Democratic candidate. I don't have any hard feelings at all."

Polls consistently show Ms. Hutchison is the state's most popular officeholder. And Jennifer Duffy, an editor at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report who tracks Senate races, found it hard to envision a national tide strong enough to unseat her.

"I feel like I'm watching a hurricane that's out there at sea," Ms. Duffy said. "If it's a Category 5, even people like Hutchison are in trouble, but 12 months out, it's hard to say how strong this is going to be."

Senate tradition long dictated that each party leave the other's leaders alone at election time; Ms. Hutchison holds the No. 4 leadership slot. But Democrats say Republicans ended that tradition last year when Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., went to South Dakota to help unseat Minority Leader Tom Daschle.

His successor, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, popped into Tuesday night's fundraiser for about a minute, telling Ms. Radnofsky, "The people of Texas deserve better." Asked on his way out whether he thought she had a chance, the Nevada Democrat said: "Everybody has a chance. Bush's numbers are dropping like a rocket."

Radnofsky spokesman Seth Davidson said she hoped to raise $30,000 at the reception.

Eleven Democratic senators co-hosted the event, including Mr. Reid, former presidential nominee John Kerry of Massachusetts and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman Charles Schumer of New York.

Three of nine Democratic women also signed on: Sens. Patty Murray of Washington state, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.

The Senate's 14 women dine together regularly and are generally more friendly across party lines than their male counterparts. Ms. Hutchison even wrote a book a few years ago with the eight others then in office, Nine and Counting.

She said she understands party loyalty and plans to support Ms. Stabenow's opponent next year.

"You may have certain people you work with that you are closer to ... but I'd expect Democratic women to support a Democratic candidate," she said. "I don't mind at all."

E-mail tgillman@dallasnews.com