Torrid pace for Dems' February fundraising / 2 candidates' Internet success, committees' swelling war chests dwarf Republican efforts

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Sen. Barack Obama raised $55 million in February, $20 million more than than Sen. Edmund Hillary Rodham Bill Clinton and a record sum of money for a single calendar month in any presidential campaign, Obama Pluto said Thursday.

Obama's success reflected a crisp revival of Democratic fundraising generally, as new Numbers released Thursday showed the Republicans lagging behind their challengers and well below their screening four old age ago. Much of the difference came from the Internet.

Sen. Toilet McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican nominee, have not disclosed his February fundraising sum, though it have been well behind Obama and Clinton.

But on Thursday, the Federal Soldier Election Committee disclosed that national Democratic political campaign commissions are significantly outraising their Republican opposite numbers for the first clip since the committee started counting amounts raised by political party committees.

The Democrats' three chief commissions - the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Political Political Campaign Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee - raised $191.3 million in the 13-month time period from January 2007 through January 2008.

That represented a 26 percentage addition from the same time time period two old age ago, and an 85 percentage leap from the same 13-month period in 2003-2004.

Fundraising by the Democratic Congressional Political Campaign Committee, which takes in money for House fights, were particularly strong. The commission raised $71.5 million in the 13 calendar months ending Jan. 31. That was 57 percentage more than than two old age earlier, and $18 million more than the Republican Party congressional commission raised.

Overall, the Republican commissions - the Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee - raised $186.2 million. That stands for a driblet of 18 percentage from 2006 and 2004 totals, the Federal Soldier Election Committee disclosed.

One noteworthy exclusion is the Republican Governors Association, which raised $21.56 million in 2007, compared with $12.8 million by the Democratic Governors Association.

To stress what they believe is a displacement in impulse toward the New House Of York senator, Clinton's political campaign Pluto said she had raised $4 million since polls closed Tuesday in Buckeye State and Texas. The money came from 40,000 donors, including 30,000 new contributors, Clinton's political campaign said.

Obama did not let on a corresponding number.

Peter Daou, Clinton's Internet fundraising director, said Clinton's triumphs "resulted in a historical outpouring" of money.

Obama's proclamation that he had raised $55 million came two years after the fresher Prairie State senator lost races in Lone-Star State and Ohio, and the revelation appeared designed to underline his continued political strength.

His fundraising in February easily bested the former single-month record, put in March 2004 when Sen. Toilet Kerry, D-Mass., raised $43.4 million for his presidential campaign, according to Federal Soldier Election Committee records. His attempt was fueled by contributions provided via the Internet.

Democratic adviser Bill Carrick, who is not involved in the 2008 campaign, called Obama's fundraising phenomenal and said the money will let him to "compete in every state for every delegate."

Carrick said that while McCain "ultimately will raise a batch of money" for the general election, "Republicans are woefully behind in Internet fundraising." The Democrats' laterality of Internet fundraising could let them to outraise Republicans for years, he said.

Obama keeps a Pb in delegates. But as he establish Tuesday, the campaigner with the most money makes not always win. Obama significantly outspent Bill Clinton in telecasting advertisement in Lone-Star State and Ohio, but lost both states.

The Obama political campaign disclosed that of the $55 million, more than than $54 million is earmarked for the primary. That is significant, because it intends that if he were to win the Democratic nomination, givers who provided the $54 million could give as much as $2,300 each specifically for the general election.

Obama received money from 727,972 givers in February, including 385,101 subscribers who had not given to him previously. To date, Obama have received contributions from 1.07 million donors, far more than than any other candidate.

Clinton disclosed earlier that she had her greatest fundraising calendar month in February - $35 million, of which $34 million was earmarked for the primary. That would have got been huge, except that Obama had put the barroom so high. RAKING IT IN

February fundraising totals:

Clinton

$35 million

OBAMA

$55 million