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Obama rivals Clinton's funds
05/04/2007 07:25 - (SA)
Iowa - Democrat Barack Obama raked in $25m (about R179m) for his presidential bid in the first three months of 2007, placing him on a par with front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton and dashing her image as the party's inevitable nominee.
Obama's fundraising number came from an official in his campaign who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The eye-popping figure was the latest evidence that Obama, a political newcomer who has served just two years in the senate, has emerged as the most powerful new force in presidential politics this year.
It also reinforced his status as a significant threat to Clinton, who had hoped her own $26m (about R186m) first quarter fundraising total would begin to squeeze her rivals out of contention.
While Clinton has honed a vast national fundraising network through two senate campaigns and her husband's eight years as president, Obama launched his bid for the White House with a relatively small donor base concentrated largely in Illinois, his home state.
But his early opposition to the Iraq war and voter excitement over his quest to be the first black president quickly fuelled a powerful fundraising machine.
- AP
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