Obama's February Haul: $55 Million

(AP)  Democratic Sen. Barack Obama raised a record $55 million in February for his presidential campaign, eclipsing rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's own substantial fundraising for the month. All told, Obama has raised $193 million during his yearlong bid for the White House.

The campaign's announcement Thursday came two days after Obama lost three out of four primaries to Clinton. Clinton's victories stopped his winning streak and extended the race into an unpredictable future.

Obama's February total was his second fundraising record. He raised $36 million in January, more than any other presidential candidate who has ever been in a contested primary.

More than $54 million of the February money was for the primary election. His combined January and February totals nearly matched was he raised last year. The campaign said it raised $45 million through the Internet in February and had 385,000 new contributors for a total of more than 1 million donors.

Riding her victory wave, Clinton's camp announced Thursday that she raised $4 million online since Tuesday's presidential primary successes in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island.

The Clinton campaign said it had raised the money from the time polls closed Tuesday through noon Thursday. It reported 30,000 new donors. The influx of money made their online total raised for this month $6 million, the campaign announced.

Clinton raised an impressive $35 million in February, a significant recovery from January when Obama raised more than twice her total. But Obama has outpaced her both in fundraising and spending during the nominating contests.

"We're going to have the funds we need to keep this campaign going, to keep Hillary Clinton's message out there," senior adviser Ann Lewis said in a teleconference with reporters.

Past victories have also caused upticks in giving. The Clinton campaign, for instance, raised more than $1 million in the 24 hours following her New Hampshire victory on Jan. 8. Obama raised $1.2 million the day after winning the Iowa caucuses and he raised even more in the 24 hours after losing in New Hampshire.

Clinton had to lend her campaign $5 million at the end of January, but has seen her finances improve since then. She reported raising $34 million for the primary in February.

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The Money Race
Check out January tallies for Republicans and Democrats including how much they've raised and spent since the campaign began.

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Obama and his allies outspent her in Texas and Ohio in advertising.

Both campaigns have been the top fundraisers of the entire presidential field, raising $100 million each in 2007.

[kmccliment]

nolalou,

BECAUSE YOUNG BARRY GAVE LUOIS F. THE OLD (WINK,WINK) WHEN HE DENOUNCED HIS SUPPORT. JUST LIKE HE LATER TOLD CANADA, DONT TAKE MY CAMPAIGN LITERALLY ON NAFTA ITS JUST POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING, ITS ALL GOOD...

[kmccliment]

WON 3 OUT OF 4!!! YEA BABY!!! YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN.. AMERICA I SMELL A CHANGE IN THE WIND AND IT SMELLS LIKE MICHELLE OBAMA WONT BE ABLE TO BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN ANY MORE.

[nolalou]

joandavis2, your attempt at satire (I''m assuming that''s what you were doing) is not funny, and typical racist BS! Obama has already publicly denounced Louis Farrakhan, why on earth do you think he would be in an Obama cabinet? joandavis2 get a life!

[abbe91]

"Do you get all oooey goooey when Hussein Obama speaks, Weak in the knees, hard in the shorts?
Posted by mbcsmith at 08:14 AM : Mar 07, 2008"

Not more that I''m impressed by the great USS Forrestal hero McSame ...

[mbcsmith]

but it will lessen their impact.


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Posted by flreason at 08:22 AM : Mar 07, 2008


You keep right on thinking that. You''ve been had.

[omega39-2009]

"Obama and his allies outspent her in Texas and Ohio in advertising." AND IT DIDN''''T WORK.
Posted by goldesprit

Sure it did, he closed a wide double digit lead to a narrow single digit lead in a matter of three weeks. If the election had been a couple of weeks later, Hillary would have been out.

[mistered9]

I think I bought a used car from Obama a few years back. It quit the minute I got on the road.
That''s what all his seeches are.
Hillary can beat McBush hands down.

[flreason]

"It ain''''t the mom and pops common folk funneling a $100 million to this Chicago politician."
Posted by mbcsmith

I''d be interested to know what data you are using to support your argument...or is it just an opinion? Over a million contributors would seem to very effectively argue that Obama is effectively convincing record numbers of individuals to contribute to his campaign. That kind of success will inevitably attract corporate dollars as well, but it will lessen their impact.

[flreason]

"Obama and his allies outspent her in Texas and Ohio in advertising." AND IT DIDN''''T WORK."
Posted by goldesprit

Considering the large number of Republican cross-over votes in the most recent primaries, it would be interesting to know how many of them were voting for Hillary at the suggestion of right-wing talk show hosts as a way to insure the Democrats would field the weakest candidate. We will never know, but it''s certainly something to think about, and should encourage Obama supporters to get to the polls in larger numbers in the remaining primaries.

[mbcsmith]

Looks like the neo cons are finding out we the people are going to decide now.

This is getting funnier by the minute with neo cons they don''''t have a clue.


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Posted by antoniof123 at 07:32 AM : Mar 07, 2008


Do you get all oooey goooey when Hussein Obama speaks, Weak in the knees, hard in the shorts? You''ve been had. It ain''t the mom and pops common folk funneling a $100 million to this Chicago politician.