BlackAmericans.com

Clinton

Financial reports released to the Federal Election Commission around midnight this morning show that Clinton raised around $20 million in March and had roughly $8 million available at the beginning of April for use during the primary.

But the campaign also reported debts of $10.3 million, which makes it in the red leading into contests in Indiana and North Carolina.

Nearly half of her debt is owed to Penn, Schoen & Berland—the consulting firm of her former chief strategist Mark Penn.

The Clinton campaign’s financial state stands in sharp contrast to rival Barack Obama’s fundraising. Obama raised $41 million in March and had $42 million on hand to spend in April.

Obama

Overall, Obama had $51 million on hand at the end of March, with nearly $9 million of that available only for the general election.

Clinton campaign spokesman Jay Carson told the Associated Press that the figures don’t include $2.5 million raised during an Elton John concert held earlier this month in New York.

The Clinton campaign says $15 million of Clinton’s $20 million was raised over the Internet. The campaign says it has raised a total of $60 million over the Internet since Jan. 1, a sign it is attracting more small donors.

Clinton had initially relied on a small crop of deep-pocketed donors who maxed out the $2,300 limit as the long race for the Democratic presidential primary stretched on. Obama, meanwhile, has relied on a broad base of small donors that could continue to give.

Clinton spent $22.2 million in March. Much of that went to a flurry of advertising ahead of the Ohio and Texas contests on March 4. Obama spent $30.6 million in March.

Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain reported that he raised $15.2 million and had $11.6 million in the bank. The Arizona senator’s March figures were his best fundraising performance of the campaign.

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 http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/04/21/clinton-campaign-is-in-the-red/?mod=WSJBlog