Clinton Looks To Pay Down Debt

With Hillary Clinton poised to suspend her campaign tomorrow, attention has turned to how she will retire the more than $30 million in debt the campaign has amassed.

Clinton will likely seek Barack Obama's help in paying down the debt, which includes $11 million she lent to her own campaign. It's somewhat unclear how such a process might work: As CBS News chief political consultant Marc Ambinder points out, Obama cannot legally simply transfer money into Clinton's account, though he can lend her his e-mail list and ask his donors for money for her campaign. He could also appear at a fundraiser for his former rival.

Clinton is a prodigious fundraiser herself, and she plans to raise money for Obama's campaign: Her advisors say she could bring in up to $100 million for his general election campaign, according to the Associated Press.

It is something of a tradition for nominees to help their former primary opponents with their debts – such gestures are believed to help unify the party and reduce any lingering primary season bitterness. Negotiations for assistance in paying down debts can also result in the nominee gaining access to the fundraising lists and elements of the campaign structure of his former rival.