Clinton raises record $100 million, says campaign

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- New York Sen. Hillary Clinton raised a record "over $100 million" for her Democratic presidential bid, her campaign reported.

The Clinton campaign released the figure just days before the important Iowa caucuses -- the first presidential nominating contest of the 2008 race for the White House.

While fighting for voters in Iowa and other initial states, Clinton and top Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois also have been battling for campaign funds in a record-breaking race for dollars -- the lifeblood of a presidential campaign.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told The Associated Press the campaign needs "at least $100 million" to compete in the nation's initial 26 primaries and caucuses. He told the AP that "Obama will have the financial resources."

Through September of 2007, Clinton raised about $80 million, and transferred an additional $10 million from her Senate account to her presidential campaign account, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

In the same period, Obama raised about $79 million, according to the FEC.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Tuesday showed Clinton and Obama virtually tied in Iowa with 33 percent and 31 percent respectively -- given the survey's sampling error of 4.5 percentage points.

The latest fundraising quarter ended Monday at midnight, but campaigns aren't required to announce fundraising details until January 31 -- the deadline for filing with the FEC.

Monday's report from Clinton's campaign failed to reveal how much cash her team planned to use for primaries and caucuses, and how much for the general election -- an important detail that would signal the size of Clinton's war chest during the battle for her party's nomination.

Campaign finance laws limit the amount an individual can contribute to a candidate during the primary cycle to $2,300. However, individuals can contribute another $2,300 to a candidate for the general election.

Campaigns often report the total of contributions for the primary and general cycles during a quarter, even though general election contributions can't be used immediately to buy ads or hire staff.

Source: CNN