Hillary Clinton breaks fundraising record

Democratic presidential hopeful raises $26 million in first 3 months of 2007

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updated 7:23 p.m. ET April 1, 2007

WASHINGTON - Shattering previous records, Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton collected $26 million for her presidential campaign during the first three months of the year and transferred an additional $10 million from her Senate fundraising account, aides said Sunday.

The New York senator's total included $4.2 million raised through the Internet. The campaign did not specify how much of the $36 million was available only for the primary election and how much could be used just in the general election, if she were the party's nominee.

The amount outdistanced past presidential election records and set a high bar by which to measure the fundraising abilities of her chief rivals.

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The fundraising deadline for the January through March period was Saturday, with financial reports due April 15.

The Clinton campaign did not announce how much it had spent during those three months.

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Republican Phil Gramm of Texas and Democrat Al Gore of Tennessee hold the high-water mark for first quarter receipts: $8.7 million for Gramm in 1995 and $8.9 million for Gore in 1995. Gramm dropped out before New Hampshire held that election's first primary.

Clinton's campaign manager, Patty Solis Doyle, told reporters she was "completely overwhelmed and grateful" by the support.

By not breaking down the amount available for the primaries, the Clinton camp made it impossible to make clear comparisons to past campaigns.

Most of the top tier candidates in the Republican and Democratic fields for 2008 are raising money for the primaries and the general election. The general election money can only be spent if the candidate wins the nomination.