Obama's $40 million March; Obama, Clinton hit California for campaign cash

Lynn Sweet column

Sen. Barack Obama raised more than $40 million in March, his campaign said Thursday, estimated to be double the haul of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as the money race continues to escalate.

Obama’s team has outraised and outspent Clinton’s campaign for months, as both Democrats show a stunning ability to raise money.

In an ad that has started running in North Carolina, which has a May primary, Clinton says this about the protracted primary fight: “This isn’t a typical election, and these are not typical times.”

Obama’s campaign said it had more than 442,000 donors in March, including more than 218,000 new contributors. That’s important not only for the cash, but because it gives the campaign database another large input from supporters who may not have been identified.

The Clinton numbers will come out later in the month, the campaign said. A source close to Clinton fund-raising efforts said her team probably collected about $21.5 million.

Clinton and Obama are again traveling to California for high-end fund-raisers. Clinton headlined events in San Francisco, Pasadena and Los Angeles on Thursday. Obama will go to California for private fund-raisers Sunday.