Giuliani adds $11 million, leads GOP candidates

GOP lags behind Democratic leaders
The three Republicans lag far behind the two Democratic Party money leaders — Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. Clinton has raised about $63 million for the primary and about $17 million for the general election. She also has transferred $10 million left over from her 2006 Senate campaign. Obama has raised about $75 million for the primary contest and about $4 million for the general election.

Each raised more than $20 million in the third quarter.

Giuliani is ahead of the Republican field in national polls. Romney leads in polls in the early voting state of Iowa and is in a tight contest with Giuliani and McCain in New Hampshire.

In a surprise to the GOP field, anti-war Republican Ron Paul raised $5 million in the third quarter and has $5.3 million cash on hand, more than McCain. Paul’s opposition to the war has mobilized an avid Internet base of support for his long-shot candidacy.

Giuliani positioned best to win election?
Giuliani’s campaign hailed his own top fundraising performance as evidence that he is best positioned to win the general election.

“We’re receiving real support from across the country because voters know Rudy Giuliani is the only candidate who has proven leadership, executive experience and can beat the Democrats in November,” campaign manager Mike DuHaime said.

Giuliani’s cash-on-hand amount is the most significant because it gives him a $3 million advantage over Romney as the campaigns head into an intense segment of the contest, with the earliest voting only three months away.

But Romney’s willingness to use his own money adds a measure of uncertainty. His wealth gives him ready access to cash to confront political challenges in those January elections.

McCain, who ended the second quarter with little cash and a staff upheaval on his hands, still has a financial challenge ahead of him. But his campaign said he has steadied his spending, cutting monthly expenditures from $4.5 million to $1.5 million.

Picking the president: The candidates Click to visit that candidate's MSNBC page or click the XML symbol for an RSS feed. John McCain                Barack Obama

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