Obama raises $19 million in quarter

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer 4 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Democrat Barack Obama raised more than $19 million for the presidential primary elections from July through September, bringing his total for the year to nearly $80 million, his campaign said Monday.

The summer total includes donations from 93,000 new contributors, aides said. Obama also raised money for the general election, making his overall contributions more than $20 million for the quarter.

The third-quarter contributions were less than Obama raised in each of the first two quarters. But the total still kept him at the top of the fundraising pack — at least temporarily. His closest fundraising rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, had not released her totals Monday.
Overall, the Obama campaign has received contributions from 352,000 donors so far this year. Contributors are limited to a maximum of $2,300 each.
The campaign did not say how much money it had in the bank, an important figure as the presidential contest heads into one of the heaviest spending periods of the season. Obama has been spending heavily, especially in Iowa, where the first presidential caucus is scheduled for January.

Obama, like other major candidates, has also been raising money for the general election, but the bulk of his contributions are for the primaries. Since the beginning of the year, he has received nearly $75 million for the primaries and about $4 million for the general election.