KEY POINTS:
WASHINGTON - Senator Hillary Clinton has US$35 million ($46.61 million) in the bank and top rival Senator Barack Obama has US$32 million for the final months of a big-spending race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, their campaigns reported.
Clinton, who leads Democrats in national opinion polls, had another US$15 million in the bank to spend on a potential general election campaign if she gets the nomination, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission. Her top rival Obama had another US$4 million in general election funds in the bank as of September 30, his campaign said.
On the Republican side, former Governor Mitt Romney reported spending far more than his party rivals on the 2008 White House race in the past three months, pumping US$21 million into his bid to catch frontrunner Rudy Giuliani. A former New York mayor who leads Republicans in national opinion polls, Giuliani has spent about US$13 million on the race in the third financial quarter. Giuliani led all Republican candidates in cash on hand, with US$16.6 million in the bank at the end of September, the report said. Romney reported US$9.2 million in cash on hand.
Former Hollywood actor and Tennessee senator Fred Thompson spent US$5.7 million after his late entry to the race in June and had US$7.1 million in the bank for the stretch run, his report said.
- Reuters
