While the GOP side is less than inspiring, Democratic presidential hopefuls are getting a lot of early support.Associated Press:
Democrat Barack Obama raked in $25 million for his presidential bid in the first three months of 2007, placing him on a par with front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton and dashing her image as the party's inevitable nominee.
The donations came from an eye-popping 100,000 donors, the campaign said in a statement Wednesday.
The figures were the latest evidence that Obama, a political newcomer who has served just two years in the Senate, has emerged as the most powerful new force in presidential politics this year. It also reinforced his status as a significant threat to Clinton, who'd hoped her own $26 million first quarter fundraising total would begin to squeeze her rivals out of contention.
Among republicans, Mitt Romney (?!?) holds the lead in funcraising with $23 million in the bank.
It should be pointed out that the money lead at this point doesn't mean much. A frontrunner can expect to spend a lot of that in the primaries to maintain their lead, leaving them more and more cash starved as time goes on. Those farther back can save most of their cash for later.
One more reason why I wouldn't mind being in John Edwards' shoes right now, with $14 million in the bank and Hillary and Obama fighting each other.
