Obama, Clinton bank over $30m
WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton ended the first half of the year with more than $30 million each for the presidential primaries, a formidable financial performance for the two leading Democratic White House contenders.
Obama reported having $34 million in primary cash on hand; Clinton reported $33 million.
On the Republican side, Senator John McCain's campaign spent more than it raised from April through June, leaving him financially strapped with $3.2 million cash on hand and a $1.8 million debt, according to his report filed last night with the Federal Election Commission.
Hindered by unpopular stands on the war and on immigration, McCain raised $11.26 million in the second quarter, short of his first-quarter donations. He spent $13 million. The senator from Arizona upended his campaign organization last week, with campaign manager Terry Nelson leaving and his longtime strategist, John Weaver, resigning.
Obama led in fund-raising for the period covering April though June, raising nearly $32 million for the primary election and about $1 million for the general election.
The freshman senator from Illinois has mounted an aggressive fund-raising campaign that has netted him more than 250,000 donors for the year. He has raised nearly $59 million, with all but about $2 million devoted to the primary election.
Clinton raised about $21.5 million for the primary and $5.6 million for the general election, her campaign said. Candidates cannot use the general election money unless they win the nomination.
The Clinton campaign said it had spent $12.5 million. Its report had not been filed , so the campaign's debt, if any, could not be determined.
She has raised a total of $53 million, with $12.6 million earmarked for the general election.
John Edwards, the Democrat closest to the two fund-raising leaders, reported having $12 million in the bank for the primary.
Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina and 2004 vice presidential nominee, raised about $8.8 million for the primary from April through June; he also raised $250,000 for the general election .
Overall, Edwards has raised $21.8 million for the primary and $1.3 million for the general election. While trailing Obama and Clinton, Edwards retained his place ahead of Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut.
Dodd yesterday reported raising nearly $3.3 million with nearly $6.4 million in the bank. For the year, he has total receipts of $12.1 million, which includes a $4.7 million transfer from his Senate campaign account. Richardson yesterday reported raising $7 million in the second quarter and having a similar amount in the bank.
Among Republicans filing yesterday, Ron Paul, the Texas representative running a long-shot campaign, did well, raising nearly $2.4 million from April through June and ended the quarter with a similar amount in the bank.
Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, raised $1.4 million. The candidate reported having $460,236 in the bank.
Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, and Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, reported their finances on Friday.
