WASHINGTON — Associated Press Published on Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 5:12AM EST Last updated on Monday, Mar. 30, 2009 3:09PM EDT
More than doubling her January fundraising total, Senator Hillary Clinton's advisers said yesterday that she will raise $35-million in February, a figure rival Senator Barack Obama's campaign said it would surpass.
The $35-million would be Ms. Clinton's biggest fundraising mark yet and represents a remarkable recovery for her campaign. Mr. Obama raised more than she did last month, $36-million to $14-million, and she was forced to lend her campaign $5-million.
"It was incredibly gratifying to see people come forth with this vote of confidence in me," Ms. Clinton told reporters in Hanging Rock, Ohio. "Obviously, this is a tremendous benefit to my campaign."
Mr. Obama's campaign, reacting promptly to the announcement, promised an even higher number but divulged no totals.
"We've raised considerably more than that," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.
Mr. Obama told reporters on his campaign plane, "I have no idea how much money we've raised, but we've been paying our bills. Right now, I believe we're doing very good."
That would make February an astounding fundraising month for the Democrats. At that rate, both candidates would break records for contestants in a primary fight.
Clinton officials, including campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe, announced the totals in a conference call with contributors. The campaign announced that it had raised the money from 300,000 donors, including 200,000 new contributors, most of them donating through the Internet.
"We have resources to play in big states coming up: Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont and states beyond," Mr. McAuliffe said.
Despite Ms. Clinton's increased fundraising, Mr. Obama is still outspending her in the crucial March 4 primary states of Ohio and Texas. As of Tuesday, he had spent a total of $7.5-million in advertising in the two states. Ms. Clinton had spent $4.6-million.
Join the Discussion: