Obama Leads Clinton in N.C. Fundraising
Barack Obama has out-fundraised Hillary Clinton among North Carolina donors, the Journal‘s Bertrand Gutierrez reports.
Through March 31, Obama raised $2.1 million from North Carolina, compared with $1.3 million from Clinton, according to the latest campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission.
One big reason for Obama’s lead: John Edwards is no longer running.
If the flow of campaign money can be used as a barometer of support, then yesterday’s announcement that some of Edwards’ prominent N.C. backers are endorsing Barack Obama comes as little surprise, Gutierrez writes.
Edwards, the former U.S. senator from North Carolina, was head and shoulders above Democratic rivals Obama and Hillary Clinton when it came to statewide fundraising before he dropped out of the race Jan. 31. By the end of December, he had raised $2.3 million in North Carolina while Obama and Clinton had raised little more than $750,000 each.
So when Edwards dropped out, political observers wondered whether Obama or Clinton would be the beneficiary. Who would get the money that Edwards otherwise would have gotten?
The answer appears to be Obama. Through March, he increased his North Carolina fundraising by 174 percent, compared with a 73 percent increase for Clinton.
To use the Journal‘s interactive database of donations to presidential and gubernatorial candidates, go here.
