Barack Obama Collects $25 Million
Illinois Senator Was A Close Second To Hillary Clinton In Presidential Dash For Cash
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Play CBS Video Video Obama: The $25 Million Man Sen. Barack Obama raised $25 million in the first quarter of 2007, nearly matching Sen. Hillary Clinton's numbers. Gloria Borger has more on the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.
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Video Campaign Fundraising Hits High Presidential candidates smashed first-quarter fundraising records. Republican Mitt Romney raised $21 million while Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton took in $26 million. Gloria Borger reports.
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Video Capitol Bob On Campaign Funds CBS News chief Washington correspondent and host of "Face the Nation" Bob Schieffer speaks with Julie Chen about the record campaign funds some 2008 presidential hopefuls have been collecting.
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Former Massachetts Gov. Mitt Romney raised $23 million for his White House run in the first quarter of 2007. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
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Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton addresses the National Education Association New Hampshire delegation during a campaign stop in Concord, N.H., on March 30, 2007. She raked in $26 million in first-quarter fundraising. (AP)
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Sen. Barack Obama is the latest presidential hopeful to obliterate the old first-quarter fundraising records. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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Who's Who 2008 Democratic Hopefuls Clinton, Obama and Edwards lead the chase for the Democratic nomination.
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Who's Who 2008 Republican Hopefuls McCain and Giuliani head up the Republican pack chasing the presidency.
Obama's fundraising number came from an official in his campaign, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The eye-popping figure was the latest evidence that Obama, a political newcomer who has served just two years in the Senate, has emerged as the most powerful new force in presidential politics this year. It also reinforced his status as a significant threat to Clinton, who'd hoped her own $26 million first-quarter fundraising total would begin to squeeze her rivals out of contention.
There's one key difference between Obama and Clinton, reports CBS News correspondent Gloria Borger: Obama has 100,000 donors, about twice as many as Clinton. And half of them — 50,000 people — gave by logging on. Obama raised $6.9 million online, compared with $4.2 million for Clinton.
While Clinton has honed a vast national fundraising network through two Senate campaigns and her husband's eight years as president, Obama launched his bid for the White House with a relatively small donor base concentrated largely in Illinois, his home state. But his early opposition to the Iraq war and voter excitement over his quest to be the first black president quickly fueled a powerful fundraising machine.
Obama is the latest presidential hopeful to obliterate the old first-quarter fundraising records.
Republican Mitt Romney raked in $23 million to join Clinton in the $20 million-plus club. The also-rans in the money race also reported eye-popping totals.
Republican frontrunner Rudy Giuliani collected $15 million, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., took in $12.5 million.
Among Democrats, John Edwards collected $14 million. That's double what the North Carolina Democrat raised in the same time period in his last run for the White House.
Cash wasn't always king, reports Borger. But the top candidates have opted out of the public financing system, so they can raise as much money as they want. And they'll need it. The last time the presidential race was this wide open, with no incumbent president or vice president running, was 1952.
To understand just how awash in cash the class of 2008 is, it's only necessary to look at the previous first-quarter fundraising records. Republican Phil Gramm of Texas and Democrat Al Gore of Tennessee held the previous high-water marks: $8.7 million for Gramm in 1995 and $8.9 million for Gore in 1995.
The fundraising totals are a crucial test for the candidates and indicate whose campaign is strongest less than a year before the first primary votes are cast. The fundraising deadline for the January through March period was Saturday, with financial reports due April 15.
Clinton swelled her campaign war chest by transferring an additional $10 million from her Senate fundraising account, aides said. That brought her to $36 million.
Other candidates reporting first-quarter totals included:
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.





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See all 175 CommentsPosted by RandalDS
Thanks. You knew I was joking.
In case anybody didn't, my reference was to the two legitimate children of Barack Obama and his wife.
It was a satriric putdown of the foolish rumors some "anonymous opponents" tried to foist on John McCain back in 2003-2004.
I wasn't trying to start any such silly and baseless rumors about the fine Senator from Illinois.
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 07:25 AM : Apr 05, 2007
LOL! Thanks for explaining it though as there seems to be an inordinate number of ignorant hillbillies on this blog sometimes and they just won't get it unless you tell them and usually in slow words of no more then 2 syllables.
Posted by oleander8 at 09:30 AM : Apr 05, 2007"
LOL
Good retort.
Stop him dead in his tracks if he has any sense.
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 10:02 PM : Apr 04, 2007"
LOL
Yes, Obama was 'pushed' when he fell from those white loins. LOL
(HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT)
(HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT)
So does every other candidate running for President - what's your point?
Obama is for real!!!!
Posted by edjohn66 at 08:56 AM : Apr 05, 2007
Do you really think Republicans will vote for Hillary? Why?
Hillary: voted for the war and for Bush's tax cuts for the rich
Obama: claims he would have voted against the war, is against tax cuts for the rich
I think REPUBLICANS would be for Hillary. Maybe she should run in THEIR primary..... We DEMOCRATS should support the candidate that supports our idealogy and the will of the people: Barak Obama!!
Obama is for real!!!!
Lou Dobbs, of CNN, made the offer yesterday for any Presidential candidate to come on his show and talk for 3 uninterrupted minutes on ISSUES, such as Domestic Issues of Illegal Immigration, Healthcare, Energy, Wages/Jobs for Middle Class, Taxes, etc., and Foreign Policy, War in Iraq, etc. This would give the viewers a better chance at hearing a message of exactly how the candidates feel on issues. Certainly hope all take him up on this offer!!!
Our next president will be the best president money can buy!!!!!(AGAIN)
Posted by RandalDS
Thanks. You knew I was joking.
In case anybody didn't, my reference was to the two legitimate children of Barack Obama and his wife.
It was a satriric putdown of the foolish rumors some "anonymous opponents" tried to foist on John McCain back in 2003-2004.
I wasn't trying to start any such silly and baseless rumors about the fine Senator from Illinois.
What I didn't see was any well thought out preference based on a candidate's PLATFORM.
This country needs 2 things to keep our constitution alive.
First a REAL education that includes along with the 3 r's civics, health, financial and common sense(logic) training. It's the best possible investment and the least we can do for our future generations.
Second a sense of responsibility that encourages rather than discourages participation in community involvement including making it a DUTY TO VOTE and not excluding, discouraging, restricting, playing dirty tricks, etc. to rig the elections - in other words fair and honest elections. It's not impossible - even Iraq did better at it than we have.
The hatred and prejudice I've read here is disgusting.
Troll. Please do not feed this troll. Thank you.
hawksprings
You don't have to look far.
Obama's name rimes with Osama.
Coincidence?
I don't think so.
How do we know he's not with the terorists?
(Psst... Rumor has it Obama fathered two black children -- twice as many as John McCain !! I bet Karl Rove would pay a lot of money for this information... A word to the wise...)
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 09:52 PM : Apr 04, 2007
ROTFLMFAO!!!
And that ruthlessness reputation is already hurting her badly enough without that.
I don't doubt Obama will be hit by another "Swift Boat" attack eventually, but it won't be coming from Democrats.
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