Clinton and Obama Each Pull In Over $100 Million

Both the nationally front-running former first lady and her Democratic rival from Illinois broke ground in a crowded field with their massive campaign hauls. (By Joe Raedle -- Getty Images)

The campaign of Edwards, who has moved into a virtual tie for the lead in the Iowa caucuses, raised between $4 million and $5 million for the quarter, according to a person with direct knowledge who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the numbers. The infusion of taxpayer-subsidized matching funds he will get because he accepted public financing -- unlike his two main rivals -- will leave him with a total for the year of about $44 million. But the decision to accept those funds also limits him to spending no more than about $41 million before the national party conventions at the end of August.

Campaign manager Joe Trippi said this weekend that if Edwards wins Iowa's caucuses, the campaign is banking on a surge in fundraising -- just like the one Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) experienced four years ago when he won Iowa and began collecting as much as $2 million a day in fresh donations.

People familiar with Clinton's fundraising, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the numbers, confirmed that she collected more than $20 million in donations this quarter, pushing her well past the $100 million mark.

Clinton had raised $80 million from contributors through the end of September and transferred an additional $10 million in leftover funds from her Senate campaign. Her fundraising was boosted in recent months by the efforts of her husband, former president Bill Clinton.

The Obama campaign offered its finance assessment in a PowerPoint presentation that campaign manager David Plouffe gave to supporters yesterday.

"At least $100 million will be necessary to fully compete in the first 26 states," Plouffe said in his presentation. "Obama will have the financial resources." People familiar with his fundraising confirmed that Obama had already surpassed the $100 million mark in combined primary and general election contributions.

Through the first nine months of 2007, Obama raised $76 million for the primaries. More than a quarter of that money came in contributions of $200 or less, much of it online. Unlike former Vermont governor Howard Dean, the 2004 Democratic primary candidate who helped revolutionize the way presidential candidates use the Internet to raise money, Obama combined the technology with an effort to build a more traditional network of wealthy donors.

Paul, on the other hand, produced his $20 million almost entirely over the Internet. In two record-shattering days during the past quarter, he pulled in $4.2 million and then an additional $6 million. "It tells us there is tremendous grass-roots support out there," said Paul campaign spokesman Jesse Benton.