Washington – Sen. Barack Obama outraised Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton by $10 million in second-quarter contributions that can be spent on the Democratic presidential primary contest, aided by the contributions of 154,000 individual donors.
Obama’s campaign today reported raising at least $31 million for the primary contest and an extra $1.5 million for the general election from April through June, a record for a Democratic candidate.
Clinton’s campaign announced late today that she had raised $21 million for the primary. With general election contributions added, aides said her total sum would be “in the range” of $27 million.
Candidates can use general election money only if they win their party’s nomination.
Obama’s amount ensures his place as a top contender for the Democratic nomination. It steals the spotlight from Clinton, his main rival. And it establishes them as the fundraising juggernauts of the entire presidential field.
Counting this quarter’s surge of donors, the first-term senator from Illinois has received donations from more than 258,000 donors through the first half of the year, an extraordinary figure at this stage of the campaign. Obama raised $25.7 million in the first three months of the year.
“Together, we have built the largest grassroots campaign in history for this stage of a presidential race,” Obama said in a statement today. “That’s the kind of movement that can change the special interest-driven politics in Washington and transform our country. And it’s just the beginning.”
The Clinton campaign did not divulge its number of donors.
Meanwhile, Democrat John Edwards raised more than $9 million from April through June and relied on nearly 100,000 donors during the first half of the year. The fundraising total met the campaign’s stated goal but was about $5 million less than what he took in during the first three months of the year.
Edwards’ campaign has said it is on track to raise $40 million by the Iowa caucuses in January.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was at Edward’s heels, with his campaign reporting more than $7 million raised. But Edwards’ six-month total was $23 million, compared with more than $13 million for Richardson.
“Democrats are clearly engaging the public and expanding the donor base,” Edwards deputy campaign manager Jonathan Prince said today in reaction to Obama’s fundraising.
He said the aim of the Edwards campaign was to attract more contributors by holding more small-donor events to build a grassroots network. “We feel we are exactly where we need to be,” Edwards adviser Joe Trippi said. “This is not a money race; it’s a race to win the nomination.”
Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., reported raising $3.25 million in the quarter for his presidential campaign, bringing his total raised this year to $7.3 million. Dodd last quarter also transferred $4.7 million from his Senate campaign account. His campaign said he had $6.5 million cash on hand at the end of the quarter.
The figures that some campaigns released today are estimates. Details of how much the campaigns raised and spent in the latest period will not be available until the candidates file financial reports with the Federal Election Commission by July 15.
While several Democrats revealed their total sums, Republicans were not expected to announce their figures until Monday or later in the week.
For Obama, vaulting ahead of Clinton in the money race is an important achievement. Despite broad public interest in Obama’s candidacy, he trails the New York senator and former first lady in national polls. Polls show the contest to be closer in some key early states, and Obama is leading in South Carolina.
Among Republicans, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign has said he will fall short of the $20.7 million raised earlier in the year.
Rudy Giuliani was expected to exceed his first quarter total of $16 million. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was struggling to match the $13.8 million he took in during the first quarter.
