Hillary Clinton staffers have been saying for weeks they think Barack Obama might outraise their boss this quarter and bring in $30 million or more. It's the typical expectations lowering game, but Obama (D-Ill.) announced on his Web site this morning he'd gotten even more donations this cycle than last time around.
The two senators were neck-and-neck in dollars raised last quarter, though Obama, in second place in most polls, had nearly double the number of donations made to his campaign. A push allowing donors to be considered for dinner with the candidates seems to have helped Obama fill his coffers, and the campaign pointed reporters to the site, which said this morning he had gotten 336,258 donations from 243,088 people as of 6:53 a.m.
The campaign sent an e-mail to supporters a few hours later, saying the number had jumped to 337,986 donations from 244,788 people as of 10:59 a.m. Doing the math, this suggests he got 1,728 contributions over a 4 hours and 6 minute period. Obama staffers say the fast pace is real, and note many of the donations are $5, $10 or $20.
Clinton (D-NY) has been doing her own major fundraising push - including a high dollar dinner with mega investor Warren Buffett this week and a note from her husband, the former president - before Saturday's filing deadline.
Her staffers are tight lipped on numbers of donors or dollars raised so far.
An e-mail from the former first lady this morning to supporters says she is "ready for change."
"I'm ready to push the restart button on the 21st century. Ready to say goodbye to Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzalez, Karl Rove, and George Bush," Clinton said. "After June 30, all eyes will be on us, sifting through our FEC reports, trying to determine if we have real grassroots strength. Will you step up today to help us pass this test?"
Meanwhile, former Sen. John Edwards is still raising money off Ann Coulter.
"You are the heart and soul of this campaign. You get what we're about. You know that personal attacks from folks like Ann Coulter are just attempts to distract from the issues that matter," writes deputy campaign manager Jonathan Prince in an e-mail. "And you're the reason her strategy can never succeed."
-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times
