Author Topic: Hillary Clinton Sets Fundraising Record  (Read 1254 times)

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Amianthus

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Hillary Clinton Sets Fundraising Record
« on: April 01, 2007, 06:05:48 PM »
But this can't be true! We know - after all it's obvious - that Republicans always raise more money than Democrats!

Apr 1, 4:49 PM (ET)

By JIM KUHNHENN

WASHINGTON (AP) - Shattering previous records, Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton collected $26 million for her presidential campaign during the first three months of the year and transferred an additional $10 million from her Senate fundraising account, aides said Sunday.

The campaign did not specify how much of the $36 million was available only for the primary election and how much could be used just in the general election, if she were the party's nominee.

Still, the total raised outdistanced past presidential election records and set a high bar by which to measure the fundraising abilities of her chief rivals. The Clinton campaign did not announce how much it had spent during those three months and how much cash it still had in hand.

Her closest rival in polls of Democratic voters - Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois - had yet reveal his totals; former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., was expected to release his later Sunday. But New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's campaign said he raised $6 million in primary campaign money and had more than $5 million cash in hand at the end of the three-month period.

The rest of the Democratic field and the Republican presidential candidates planned to announce their first-quarter totals over the next few days. The fundraising deadline for the January through March period was Saturday, with financial reports due April 15.

Republican Phil Gramm of Texas and Democrat Al Gore of Tennessee hold the records for first-quarter receipts: $8.7 million for Gramm in 1995 and $8.9 million for Gore in 1999. Gramm dropped out before New Hampshire held the 1996 election's first primary.

"We are completely overwhelmed and gratified by the historic support that we've gotten this quarter," Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle said. The Clinton total included $4.2 million raised through the Internet, typically a source of small donations.

By not breaking down the amount available for the primaries, the Clinton camp made it impossible to make clear comparisons to past campaigns.

Most of the top tier candidates in the Republican and Democratic fields for 2008 are raising money for the primaries and the general election. The general election money can only be spent if the candidate wins the nomination.

Obama also has raised money aggressively and aides said he had more than 83,000 donors. Clinton's supporters had fretted in recent weeks that Obama could surpass her in fundraising.

Obama, in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, was coy.

"I think we'll do well," Obama said. "I think that we should meet people's expectations. More importantly, I think we will have raised enough money to make sure we can compete for the next quarter and beyond. I think we'll do pretty well."

Edwards reported raising more than $3 million on the Internet and appeared well on his way to passing the $7.4 million first-quarter fundraising mark he set in his 2003-04 presidential campaign.

No Republican presidential candidates had released fundraising totals Sunday.

For the first time since the post-Watergate era changes to campaign finance laws, candidates are considering bypassing the public financing system for the presidential primaries and the general election. Several of the top candidates are raising both primary and general election money, artificially inflating their receipts.

Candidates cannot touch their general election money and must return it to donors if they do not win the nomination.

The Federal Election Commission ruled recently that candidates could also collect general election money now and still accept public financing later, provided they returned the money they raised. The opinion came at the request of Obama, who then said he would finance his general election campaign if his Republican rival did as well. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., issued a similar challenge.

The first-quarter totals are one gauge of a campaign's strength. Compared with previous elections, attention to fundraising during the first three months of this year has been especially acute because the leading candidates have decided to forgo public financing for the primaries.

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Plane

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Re: Hillary Clinton Sets Fundraising Record
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2007, 07:29:20 PM »
Perhaps this year we will not have to listen to the tired old chestnut about Republicans being the favoriate of the fat cats.

Amianthus

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Re: Hillary Clinton Sets Fundraising Record
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2007, 07:36:20 PM »
Perhaps this year we will not have to listen to the tired old chestnut about Republicans being the favoriate of the fat cats.

Yeah, would be nice, but very unlikely.
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. (Benjamin Franklin)

The_Professor

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Re: Hillary Clinton Sets Fundraising Record
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2007, 11:09:21 PM »
And Jeremiah asked the Lord: "Righteous are You, O LORD, that I would plead my case with You; Indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered?" -- NASB.