In the immediate run-up to the Feb. 5 precinct caucuses, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama overwhelmed all other candidates -- Democratic and Republican -- in the money race in Minnesota.
Foreshadowing his caucus victory on Super Tuesday, the Illinois senator's January haul of $266,338 was nearly five times the amount raised by his main rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. She raised $54,200 from people who list a Minnesota address.
The figures, released Thursday by the Federal Election Commission, show that Obama's already-formidable fundraising became even more torrid in January. Of the $910,606 Minnesotans have contributed to him overall, nearly one-fourth came in during that month.
On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain of Arizona raised the most during the month, with $83,976. That didn't translate into a caucus victory, as he finished behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has since dropped out of the race. Romney raised $26,104 during the month.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee appeared to enjoy a fundraising bounce from his win in the Iowa caucuses, raising $33,300 in January, more than 40 percent of the overall total he has received from Minnesotans.
Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, saw his fundraising tail off in January, after raising more money from Minnesotans than any other candidate during the last three months of 2007.
Campaign contributions are often used as a proxy for the strength of candidates' support. By that measure, the Democrats are in a stronger position than the Republicans in Minnesota, as they consistently have been nationwide for months.
Overall, the Democratic presidential candidates have raised more than $1.8 million from Minnesotans, compared with $1.2 million raised by the Republicans.
