RALEIGH, N.C. -- Campaign officials for Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole said Friday she's ready to compete without the financial backing of national party leaders, who have lagged behind fundraising goals as Democrats ramp up spending.

Sen. John Ensign, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, called on Republicans last month to provide the funds necessary to remain financially competitive in close races across the country. He had said the party would match the Democrats "dollar for dollar."

But Ensign issued a sobering statement Friday, saying he has no choice but to decrease the budget available for such races.

"It has become clear that my call has gone largely unanswered," Ensign said.

That could pose a problem for Dole in North Carolina. Both parties consider the race competitive, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has blocked off large chunks of media time across the state, according to advertising managers at several television stations. The group has already gone to the airwaves with two ads decrying Dole's effectiveness, forcing Dole to respond with an ad of her own.

Meanwhile, Dole has been losing her cash advantage over Democratic rival Kay Hagan. She entered the third quarter with 10 times more cash than Hagan, but reported having a little more than double Hagan's cash at the end of June.

Dan McLagan, a spokesman for Dole, noted that the first-term senator had initially called on Hagan to join her in decrying all third-party ads.

"We are running our own campaign, and we're confident that we have the right candidate, message and sufficient resources to be victorious," McLagan said. "We've always worked under the assumption that this is going to be our campaign -- Sen. Dole's campaign -- and that we were going to run on her record and her accomplishments and we were going to win."

The NRSC has not aired any ads in the race. Dole served as the chairwoman of the NRSC during the last election cycle in which the Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress.