Obama's fundraising outpaces Clinton's

By Caren Bohan

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Barack Obama hauled in more than $40 million (20 million pounds) in campaign donations in March, keeping up a breakneck pace of fundraising that gives him a big advantage as rival Hillary Clinton raised only half that amount.

The tallies announced by the two campaigns on Thursday underscored the intense scramble for cash in a hard-fought Democratic presidential race that has shattered all fundraising records.

Obama and Clinton are vying to run against Republican Sen. John McCain in the November election to succeed President George W. Bush. Obama leads Clinton in the number of delegates that will determine the outcome of the Democratic race.

The $40 million raked in last month by the Illinois senator was less than the $55 million his campaign brought in during February. The February total was an all-time high for any presidential candidate during a primary and the March number, while lower, was the second highest.

"Forty-million dollars is a tremendous amount of money to raise in one month, even though it was still less than February," said Massie Ritsch, spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics.

Clinton's campaign raised $20 million, according to a campaign source. But the source added, "That's our second-best fundraising month to date."

Clinton, a New York senator, raised $35 million in February.

Obama's prowess at raising money over the Internet, much of it from small donors, has helped account for his large campaign war chest. Clinton, who had previously relied heavily on the more traditional method of raising money through large donors, has recently stepped up Internet fundraising as well.