Kansas City, Mo. ? An unannounced fundraising luncheon in Kansas City for Sen. Hillary Clinton has drawn the criticism not only of Republicans, but of some Democrats in a state where one of the nation’s premier U.S. Senate races is heating up.

She also had a fundraiser in St. Louis on Monday that was unannounced.

Clinton, a Democrat from New York and potential presidential candidate, spent 90 minutes Monday at the home of Kansas City lawyer Herb Kohn, an adviser to Mayor Kay Barnes. Clinton walked away with about $40,000 for her Senate re-election campaign, but Democratic critics wonder at what cost to others running for office.

“The timing is bad,” said Democratic activist Woody Overton. “We have a U.S. Senate race going on in Missouri. Claire (McCaskill) needs every dime she can raise right now.”

McCaskill, the state auditor, is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Jim Talent. A spokeswoman for McCaskill said they weren’t made aware of the fundraiser, although she doesn’t think it will have much effect on their campaign.

“We weren’t informed of it, and we don’t know much about it,” Adrianne Marsh said. “It won’t impact our campaign for good or bad.”

A spokeswoman for Clinton said neither the St. Louis nor then Kansas City trips were out of the ordinary.

“That’s policy,” Ann Lewis, spokeswoman for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s re-election committee, said Wednesday. “We don’t do advance publicity. They’re not open. When they’re in a private home, we keep them personal and informal.”

Clinton isn’t the first presidential candidate to quietly slip in and out of Missouri. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., has had similar fundraisers in the state.

But GOP officials viewed the secrecy surrounding Clinton as a chink in the Democratic front.

“It makes perfect sense,” said Republican party spokesman Paul Sloca. “The Democrats know and Hillary knows that she does not represent Missouri values in any way, shape or form. It makes sense for her to sneak in and zip right out.

“Claire McCaskill can try to distance herself from Hillary, but we see them representing the same Northeast Democratic values the likes of Ted Kennedy and Howard Dean.”

The former first lady is well-known for her fundraising prowess, reporting more than $17 million in the coffers at year’s end.