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Clinton Raises $15 Million in 15 Days

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February 19, 2008 1:55 PM

ABC News' Eloise Harper and Teddy Davis Report: The Clinton campaign has raked in $15 million in the first 15 days of February.  Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday that the campaign's fundraising spiked after the former first lady told reporters on Feb. 6 that she had loaned her campaign $5 million. The Clinton loan was needed to stay competitive with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in the more than 20 states that voted on Feb. 5.

Speaking to reporters on the same day that voters were going to the polls in Wisconsin, the Clinton campaign once again chided Obama for refusing to debate in the Badger State.

“He does not like to debate in a state where he is ahead,” Wolfson said of Obama.  Asked if the campaign was bringing this up because the campaign feels more confident about the state, strategist Mark Penn sought to downplay expectations, saying, “Wisconsin has always been difficult for us.”

Since promising victory in Texas, the Clinton campaign has acknowledged that the way Democrats allocate delegates in Texas poses a challenge. One-third of the delegates comes from a caucus which begins as soon as the primary polls close on March 4th. The other two-thirds of delegates are awarded by state senate district. Predominantly African-American state senate districts in Texas have more delegates than the state's Hispanic districts because African-Americans have turned out in higher numbers in the state's last two general elections.

When asked about Texas on Tuesday's conference call, Ace Smith, the campaign's state director, said, "we intend to concede nothing" while adding that Clinton is running "a very aggressive campaign." Smith previously served as Clinton's California state director.

February 19, 2008 in Bush, George W. | Permalink | User Comments (79)

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She's the comeback kid! What shall we call Obama? Oh wait, let's ask Deval Patrick.

Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | Feb 19, 2008 2:11:16 PM

Amazing that Obama lifts a whole passage and the whole idea of a speech from Patrick and then says Hillary does the same thing when she says "fired up and ready to go" or uses her husbands lines. There is a pretty big difference as we are talking a few words compared to whole passages and the whole idea.

Posted by: Eric | Feb 19, 2008 2:16:14 PM

The amount of money that is spent on politicians and their games is outragous. Not one, and I mean NOT ONE, politician is a prize or good for this country. They are all phony and forget who they work for -- citizens of this country!

Posted by: How sad | Feb 19, 2008 2:19:01 PM

Comeback Kid? Please disease...

Desperate for positive news. It doesn't matter if you can't get votes. $5 million of that is her own money. I'm sure Obama has at least $20 million by now. He just doesn't see the need to brag about it. Most of this money is from states that have already voted. She still has to budget tightly. Money is moot if you have no organization on the ground and your competition attracts bigger crowds. She will just prolong the inevitability of her loss.

Posted by: ROB | Feb 19, 2008 2:20:06 PM

She's going to need the money. After today it will be 10 wins in a row for Barack. And it looks as though Texas is now going to go for Obama. I think Elvis may have already started to leave the building.

Posted by: pt | Feb 19, 2008 2:21:46 PM

Hey ROB, I would say 15 million in 15 days is very positive news if you are a Clinton Supporter...

Posted by: Jay | Feb 19, 2008 2:22:40 PM

$15M in 15 days is not something to sneeze at - however much more BO can raise in the same period. Remember, up to Super Tue, HC had little coming in from the internet. No one is acknowledging HC's own grass root movement - 2 weeks old and hopefully continue to grow.

Posted by: esvida | Feb 19, 2008 2:26:23 PM

Hillary kills me insisting that Barak will not debate her. They have already had multiple debates and already have another one scheduled. Hillary is counting on the "uneducated, willing to believe anything they read" voters. Problem for her is that most people are taking the time to educate themselves about fact versus fiction. The running delegate total proves that point.

Posted by: Shawn | Feb 19, 2008 2:30:06 PM

I don't get Hillary. She says words mean nothing, but she wants more debates. Aren't debates just more words? Or is she now saying that words spat during a debate mean something, but those spat during a stump mean nothing? I need some clarification from Hillary's people. Please help.

Posted by: Kevin | Feb 19, 2008 2:35:10 PM

Maybe Obama can bring his buddy Deval Patrick to the next debate. That would certainly be helpful to him. LOL.

Posted by: Raj | Feb 19, 2008 2:38:35 PM

We need to help Hillary. She is the only democrat with a solid record of change and is tough enough to win in a race against McCain.

Obama is an Orator/Actor and borrows inspiration from truly great men, and offers nothing about who he is? That's scary and McCain will pulverize him.

Hillary is a solid leader who will win the Presidency. Obama is a wild card and no one knows what he will do as President, and he won't become President, because experience does count and count and Obama doesn't have experience.

Do whatever you can to help Hillarty be elected.

Posted by: Mark | Feb 19, 2008 2:39:42 PM

You go GIRL!! ! ! !! ! Win this one- don't let us down. We are behind you all the way! And we are behind Bill, too. We need both of you.

Posted by: votetheissues | Feb 19, 2008 2:41:20 PM

This whole thing is really pathetic Hillary is so desperate that she's making an issue out of a non-issue and eventually this will backfire on her. She's borrowed words and ideas from everyone. Someone should ask Wolfson is he can guarantee that his candidaate never borrowed rhetorical devices from another candidate.

Posted by: Mch202 | Feb 19, 2008 2:42:54 PM

Remember, the words "Fired up, ready to go", "we can do it", etc have been uttered by football coaches forever. Obama has no lock on those catch words.

Posted by: oldgaman | Feb 19, 2008 2:43:07 PM


15 Million in 15 days! Good for her but I think almost all the money has gone to Negative Ads!

Posted by: Peace | Feb 19, 2008 2:43:07 PM

I'm sure Obama has raised at least $20 million. He will win Wisconsin and Haiwai (An ARG poll that came out this morning showed him with a 10 point lead in Wisconsin. Mind you this was the same poll that showed her with a 6 point lead just a day before, so the negative ads have hurt her badly) and then announce that he has raised $25 million in 15 days. They will split Ohio and he will narrowly carry Texas, take a 300 pledged delegate lead. That should bury Clinton.

Posted by: Kevin | Feb 19, 2008 2:47:55 PM

Maybe that's why Michelle Obama is saying "for the first time in my lifetime I am proud of my country".

Posted by: jim | Feb 19, 2008 2:48:17 PM

Mark, what kind of experience are you looking for? I'd say that Obama has more experience than Hillary or McCain. You just need to examine their past to see what kind of experience we should be looking for. And remember, Bush & Cheney had lots of experience. I think we can go from the worst-in-history to the Best-in-the-Future.

Posted by: pt | Feb 19, 2008 2:48:46 PM

Trust me. We who believe that the politics of old won't do will respond. Clinton hasn't seen anything yet. Watch how Obama's supporters and the supporters of ending this failed dynasty respond!

Posted by: kings2beat | Feb 19, 2008 2:50:08 PM

If I was Clinton I would stay out of the news and let the Obama's self-destruct. They seem to be doing a good job of it in the last three days i.e. buying super delegates, plagiarism, not being proud of "their" country.

Posted by: jeff | Feb 19, 2008 2:52:48 PM

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