Clinton raises $27M in summer

Though Clinton outpaced Barack Obama, Obama has a larger donor list.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton raised $22 million during the past three months for the presidential primaries, out-raising rival Barack Obama and demonstrating surging momentum among Democratic donors.

For the first time this year, Clinton was more successful in recruiting new donors to her campaign than Obama, with her campaign reporting it attracted 100,000 new donors during the last three months versus 93,000 new donors for the Obama campaign.

Overall, the Obama campaign has amassed a larger donors list over the course of the year, reporting more than 350,000 donors.

The number of donors is a gauge of grass-roots enthusiasm for a candidate.

And the Obama campaign has regularly sought to highlight the statistic as it argues that national polling data showing a lead for Clinton does not capture an “enthusiasm gap” among the candidates.

Sign of momentum

Clinton’s strong fund-raising performance during the summer months, when well-heeled donors and volunteer fundraisers often retreat to vacation homes and are more difficult to reach, suggests mounting enthusiasm among her core supporters as she maintains her lead in the national polls.

“This is the moment when you showed that America is ready for change and that you are ready to make history,” Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle wrote in an e-mail to supporters announcing the fund-raising results. “This is the moment when your dedication defied the skeptics.”

The Clinton campaign reported raising $27 million overall during the July-through-September quarter but $5 million of that is general election money that cannot be used in her campaign to win the Democratic nomination.

Obama reported raising at least $20 million overall during the quarter, with at least $19 million of that available for use in his primary campaign effort.

Both candidates enter the final months of the presidential primary campaign at rough financial parity.

To date, Clinton has raised $62 million for use in the primary and an additional $17.6 million she can only use for the general election. Clinton also has transferred an additional $10 million left from her 2006 Senate re-election campaign that she can use for the presidential primary.