The top three Democratic presidential contenders have now reported in on their third-quarter fundraising takes, and Hillary Clinton's campaign can claim the lead.
In a statement posted on Clinton's Web site, Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle says the campaign raised $27 million in the third quarter, with $22 million of that earmarked for the primary season. Just last week, the campaign predicted its third-quarter take would be in the $17 million to $20 million range.
Barack Obama's campaign reported Monday that it raised at least $20 million in the third quarter -- the most any Democratic presidential candidate had raised in the third quarter before an election year, at least until the Clinton campaign announced its numbers this morning. Obama's year-to-date total still exceeds Clinton's, and his campaign is stressing the breadth of the support he's getting: Obama has received contributions from 352,000 donors so far this year.
John Edwards' campaign announced Monday that it brought in $7 million during the third quarter. Third-quarter numbers, either expected or in, from some of the other Democratic contenders: Bill Richardson, $5.2 million; Joe Biden, nearly $2 million; and Chris Dodd, $1.5 million.
Taken together, the Democrats are far outraising their Republican counterparts. Fred Thompson's campaign says he brought in about $8 million in the third quarter, and we're expecting to see other Republicans report takes in the $5 million to $12 million range.
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