Barack Obama's campaign says it raised more than twice as much as John McCain last month.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Barack Obama's campaign raised $52 million last month, more than twice the amount of funds brought in by his rival, John McCain, according to campaign officials for the presumed Democratic presidential nominee.

Obama's campaign now has $72 million cash on hand, the term used to describe how much money they currently have to spend, campaign officials said Thursday.

The average donation to Obama in June was $68, the officials said, bringing the monthly total to more than twice the $22 million raised in May. Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee reports it raised over $22 million in June — bringing the total cash-on-hand held by Obama and the DNC to $92 million.

At that time, the Illinois senator was still locked in a fierce primary battle with Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, and Obama was spending more time campaigning for votes and delegates than simply fundraising.

With the conclusion of the primaries in early June and Clinton's suspension of her campaign just days later, Obama's campaign cash numbers had been expected to rise in June.

McCain's campaign raised $22 million in June, its best month yet. The campaign said that combined with the Republican National Committee, they have about $95 million cash on hand.

Earlier: McCain camp says GOP has $95 million

In a fundraising e-mail to supporters, Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe acknowledged the deficit, saying that “McCain and the RNC together still have a huge cash advantage, and we need your help to close the gap.”

Obama has opted out of using public financing for his campaign, but McCain is accepting federal funds. That means at the conclusion of the political conventions in September, McCain will get about $85 million in public funds to spend on his campaign until Election Day, November 4th.

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McCain will push for more educational opportunities Wednesday.

(CNN) – John McCain is expected to tell the NAACP today that he wants to help students in failing schools by giving them more educational opportunities.

According to excerpts of McCain’s speech this morning in Cincinnati to the NAACP annual national convention, McCain will say it’s time for a new approach to help fix America’s schools.

Related: McCain looks to make gains among black voters

“Nowhere are the limitations of conventional thinking any more apparent than in education policy. Education reform has long been a priority of the NAACP, and for good reason. For all the best efforts of teachers and administrators, the worst problems of our public school system are often found in black communities. Black and Latino students are among the most likely to drop out of high school. African Americans are also among the least likely to go on to college,” McCain says in the excerpts.

“After decades of hearing the same big promises from the public education establishment, and seeing the same poor results, it is surely time to shake off old ways and to demand new reforms. That isn't just my opinion; it is the conviction of parents in poor neighborhoods across this nation who want better lives for their children,” adds the Republican’s presumptive presidential nominee.

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Barack Obama says the war in Iraq has been a distraction.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Barack Obama says that the war in Iraq has become a dangerous distraction and that if elected president, he would deal with the dangerous threats facing the country.

The Senator from Illinois and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is expected make those comments when he gives a policy address on Iraq and Afghanistan and national security at the International Trade Center here in the nation’s capital, in what his campaign calls a major speech.

Watch: Obama stands by his Iraq plan

“This war distracts us from every threat that we face and so many opportunities we could seize. This war diminishes our security, our standing in the world, our military, our economy, and the resources that we need to confront the challenges of the 21st century. By any measure, our single-minded and open-ended focus on Iraq is not a sound strategy for keeping America safe,” Obama says in excerpts released by his campaign.

“Instead of being distracted from the most pressing threats that we face, I want to overcome them. Instead of pushing the entire burden of our foreign policy on to the brave men and women of our military, I want to use all elements of American power to keep us safe, and prosperous, and free. Instead of alienating ourselves from the world, I want America – once again – to lead,” adds Obama.

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Ventura may run for Senate.

(CNN) — Will he or won’t he?

Former Minnesota Governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is expected to announce Monday night on CNN’s Larry King Live whether he’ll run for his state’s U.S. Senate seat. Ventura’s deadline to file to run for the senate is Tuesday.

If Ventura jumps into the race and runs as an Independent, the battle for Republican incumbent Norm Coleman’s seat would become a three ring circus. Democrat Al Franken, a former comedian and liberal talk show host, has already filed.

Coleman was first elected in 2002 and is running for his second term. The Democrats are targeting Coleman and hope to win back the seat that was once held by Democrat Paul Wellstone, who was killed in a plane crash while running for re-election in 2002.

Ventura ran for governor of Minnesota as an Independent in 1998, winning a three way race. Coleman was the Republican candidate in that race, losing to Ventura by about 50,000 votes. After what many people in Minnesota describe as a difficult four years in office, Ventura decided not to run for re-election.

He has hinted lately that he might jump into the Senate race. If he does enter the campaign, the question is whether he can win, and if not, which other candidate does he harm more?

Other candidates over the years have made Larry King Live their program of choice when announcing a major run for office. Larry King Live runs at 9 p.m. ET.

Both candidates are courting Latino voters.

WASHINGTON DC (CNN) – The fight for Hispanic voters takes center stage Tuesday as Senators John McCain and Barack Obama both speak separately in Washington to the League of United Latin American Citizens. It’s the second of three major Hispanic and Latino organizations the two presidential candidates are addressing this summer, and another sign of how important this key voting bloc is in the race for the White House.

President Bush won 44 percent of Hispanic and Latino voters four years ago, helping him win re-election. But only 30 percent of that demographic cast ballots for Republicans in the 2006 congressional elections. Put part of the blame for that drop on the divisive debate over immigration reform. McCain himself said earlier this year that “I think the tenor of the debate has harmed our image among Hispanics.”

The presumptive Republican nominee was one of the leaders in the Senate for immigration reform. His stance on that divisive issue hurt him with conservative voters. Nowadays he emphasizes border security first — but has continued to make a play for Hispanic voters, privately pledging to work for comprehensive immigration reform and releasing a string of Spanish-language radio ads in recent weeks.

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Obama may accept the party's nomination at Invesco Field.

(CNN) — Call it location, location, location.

Barack Obama's campaign is thinking of having the Democratic presidential candidate give his presidential nomination acceptance speech at a football stadium rather than in the arena in Denver, Colorado, where the Democratic National Convention is being held.

CNN has confirmed that discussions are underway between the campaign and Denver's convention organizing committee to move the senator from Illinois' acceptance speech from the Pepsi Center, a basketball and hockey arena which seats around 20,000 people, to Invesco Field at Mile High. The football stadium where the Denver Broncos play can seat around 75,000 people.

A bigger crowd could make for a more compelling picture and image.

One problem could be the weather. The stadium is open aired, and susceptible to afternoon and evening summer thunderstorms, while the arena is closed to the elements.

The story was first reported in the Los Angeles Times and by the Associated Press.

Obama campaign spokeswoman Shannon Gilson told the AP that no decisions have been made.

The Democrats' presidential nominating convention is scheduled to open on Monday August 25 and close with Obama's acceptance speech on Thursday, August 28.

Sen. Obama discussed his Iraq policy in North Dakota Thursday.

(CNN) — Call it take two.

Barack Obama held a second news conference with reporters in North Dakota Thursday, to deny any suggestions that he's changing his position on withdrawing all combat troops from Iraq.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee opened his second go-around with reporters by saying, "We're going to try this again. Apparently I wasn't clear enough this morning on my position with respect to the war in Iraq. I have said throughout this campaign that this war was ill-conceived, that it was a strategic blunder and that it needs to come to an end."

The Illinois senator added, "I have also said that I would be deliberate and careful in how we got out, that we would bring our troops home at a pace of one to two brigades per month and that at that pace we would have our combat troops out in 16 months. That position has not changed."

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Sen. Barack Obama heads west next week

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is heading west next week to campaign in two states he hopes to turn blue this November.

The Senator from Illinois is scheduled to hold a campaign event in Albuquerque on Monday and Las Vegas on Tuesday. CNN considers Nevada a battleground or swing state as both parties think they can win Nevada in the general election. President Bush carried Nevada in 2004, but by only two points over John Kerry.

Interactive: CNN's electoral map

CNN considers New Mexico a state that leans Republican, but the Obama campaign has the state in its sights. President Bush won New Mexico four years ago as well, but by only one percent, and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is a major Obama supporter.

But geography may also comes into play. Arizona borders both states and is the home state of Obama’s rival, Sen. John McCain.

The presumptive GOP presidential nominee will also be in the west next week. He starts his week with fundraisers and campaign events in California.

WASHINGTON (CNN)– Barack Obama turns his attention to national security today, as he meets with a group of senior Democrats who are veterans when it comes to foreign policy and national security.

Obama’s Campaign says that the Senator from Illinois will hold his first meeting of his Senior Working Group on National Security. The campaign says that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will consult with this group on a regular basis between now and the November election.

WATCH Obama discuss his view on foreign policy

Later today Obama is scheduled to gather with a a group of nearly 40 retired admirals and generals to discuss the state of the nation’s armed forces and the challenges facing the US military in hot spots around the world.

Among the names in this Senior Working Group are four Clinton Administration Cabinet members: former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Warren Christopher, former Defense Secretary William Perry, and former National Security Adviser Tony Lake.

Also included in this group are former Senators Sam Nunn, who chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee and David Boren, who chaired the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and former Congressman Lee Hamilton, who chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Obama is critical of the Bush Administration when it comes to national security, telling reporters yesterday that “I think that the American people are clear that we have neglected our domestic national security.”

Obama's ahead in CNN's latest poll of polls.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Barack Obama holds a 4 point lead over John McCain, according to a compilation of the latest national surveys.

Forty seven percent of registered voters are backing the senator from Illinois in a new CNN Poll of Polls, released Friday, with 43 percent supporting the senator from Arizona. Ten percent of voters are unsure when it comes to their choice for president.

Obama’s lead is down one point from the last CNN Poll of Polls, which was released on Wednesday.

“It’s increasingly clear from our ‘poll of polls’ average that Sen. Obama holds a small advantage over Sen. McCain as we head into the general election,” says CNN Senior Political Researcher Alan Silverleib. “Time will tell whether Obama’s lead is a temporary bounce resulting from the end of the Democratic nomination fight, or whether it is a more permanent reflection of voters’ desire for change this year.”

This latest edition of the CNN Poll of Polls is an average of four new national surveys, a Gallup poll taken from June 9-12, an NBC/Wall Street Journal survey conducted from June 6-9, a Diageo/Hotline poll taken from June 5-8, and our own CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey conducted from June 4-5. The CNN Poll of Polls does not have a sampling error.

A new poll shows Republicans are demoralized.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Republican party may face tough times at the polls come November, according to results of a new national survey.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Survey out Friday indicates that 2008 may not be a good year for Republicans up and down the ticket, even though most national surveys indicate the race for the White House between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama is quite close right now.

Interactive: Check out the latest poll numbers

Sixty-three percent of Democrats questioned say they are either extremely or very enthusiastic about voting this year. Only 37 percent of Republicans feel the same way, with 36 percent of Republicans saying they are not enthusiastic about voting.

Full story

Watch McCain's comments Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – John McCain continued his push for regular town hall-style debates with rival Barack Obama, raising the challenge again Tuesday as his campaign calls for as many as 10 face-offs this summer.

“As you know it has begun in earnest as you may have heard, Senator Obama and I might well be meeting soon in a series of town hall discussions,” McCain told business leaders gathered in the nation’s capital for the National Small Business Summit.

“Just the two of us, in direct conversation with voters. No need to turn it into a big media-run production with process questions from reporters, a spin room, and all the rest of it. Just to keep things friendly, I also suggested that my opponent and I travel to these town hall meetings together in the same plane. I promise not to try and fly it,” joked the Arizona senator. McCain, a naval aviator during the Vietnam War, was shot down and held captive for years.

“…We need the town hall meeting,” he added. “Let’s stop yelling at each other and let’s stop having sound bites and process questions and those things. The American people want a respectful and civilized discussion.”

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A new survey shows nearly 80 percent of Americans thing economic conditions are poor.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – More than three-quarters of Americans think economic conditions are poor, a new poll suggests.

Seventy-eight percent of those questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey out Monday morning rate the economic conditions as poor. That’s up from 75 percent in March.

Only 22 percent rate the economic conditions in the country as good. That’s down from 25 percent in March and 54 percent in September.

But it appears Americans are optimistic. Fifty-two percent said economic conditions a year from now would be good, with 46 percent saying they would be poor.

The economy continues to be issue number one for Americans, with 42 percent saying it is the most important issue in their vote for president, far ahead of the war in Iraq in second place.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey was taken June 4-5, with 1,035 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The poll’s sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

A majority of Dems want Clinton to be VP.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — A majority of Democrats think Barack Obama should select Hillary Clinton as his running mate, according to a new national poll.

Fifty-four percent of registered Democrats questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out Friday think Obama should name his rival as his running mate, with 43 percent saying no. The poll is the first national survey conducted since Senator Obama (D-Illinois) claimed the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday night following the end of the primary season. Senator Clinton, D-New York, is expected to suspend her campaign and back Obama in a scheduled address Saturday. (View full poll results [PDF])

It seems men and women don’t see eye to eye on this question, with 60 percent of Democratic women saying Clinton should be named as Obama’s running mate. Only 46 percent of male Democrats agree, with 51 percent of them saying no. (WATCH: Panelists weigh McCain, Obama's VP options)

“What do women want, Sigmund Freud famously asked. The answer appears to be Clinton on the ticket. It’s pretty clear that many Democratic women are miffed and that Obama has to be very careful how he deals with Senator Clinton,” says CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider. (WATCH: The war over women voters)

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Sen. Hillary Clinton trails Obama by 159 delegates and is 201 delegates shy of capturing the nomination.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — After six months and 61 contests, the Democratic primary season finally draws to a close Tuesday, but the big question is whether this historic and at times bitter battle for the party's presidential nomination will also come to a close.

Montana and South Dakota hold primaries Tuesday, but there's much more at stake than just the 31 pledged delegates in those two contests.

Barack Obama is just 42 delegates shy of the 2,118 now needed to clinch the nomination. There are not enough pledged delegates at stake in Montana and South Dakota to put Obama over the top, but a rush of endorsements by the remaining undeclared "superdelegates" could allow him to claim victory when he takes the stage in Minnesota Tuesday evening.

Full story

Sen. Obama is gearing up for the last three Democratic contests.

(CNN) — Barack Obama will close out the primary season on Tuesday with a campaign event at the site of the Republican convention.

His campaign announced on Saturday that the Illinois senator will team up with his wife Michelle at a rally at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, the same arena which will house the 2008 Republican National Convention in September.

Obama's rally will take place as Montana and South Dakota close out the Democratic primary season on Tuesday. Thirty-one delegates are at stake in those two states.

Minnesota is considered a battleground — or swing — state that both parties will fight for in the general election.

Obama said Wednesday the general election fight begins next week.

(CNN) –Barack Obama says the general election will begin after Tuesday, when Montana and South Dakota close out the Democratic primary season.

And when asked by reporters last night aboard his campaign plane if he will be the winner at that point, the Senator from Illinois said "I believe so."

By CNN's count, Obama is currently 48 delegates shy of the 2,026 now needed to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination. And he's 198 delegates ahead of his rival, Senator Hillary Clinton of New York.

Asked by reporters how he would handle the end game with Clinton, Obama said "I am sure we will have discussions with Senator Clinton and her team. Unless we have, you know it's technically not over until we have the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination. Once we have that number, we will focus on the general election."

Obama made his comments while flying back home to Chicago from Denver, following a three day campaign swing in New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado. Those three Rocky Mountain States are all considered battleground or swing states and should be up for grabs in the November presidential election.

Mrs. McCain released her 2006 tax returns Friday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Cindy McCain released part of her 2006 tax returns Friday. The filings show she earned a total income of $6 million, and paid more than $1.7 million in taxes. She also claimed deductions of close to $570,000.

Her husband John McCain's presidential campaign said she had received an extension on her 2007 tax returns, and planned to release those as well. Her husband, presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, made his own returns public last month.

Under a prenuptial agreement, the couple keeps their tax returns and assets completely separate. Cindy McCain is heiress to a liquor fortune.

A campaign spokesman said she still had concerns about the privacy of her children — the reason she had given earlier for not releasing the records — she did not want the lingering questions continue to be a distraction from other issues.

The campaign dismissed questions over its decision to release the documents late on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. "The campaign makes determinations when the make things public," spokesman Tucker Bounds told CNN. "This is something that came together today. We feel very good about that fact that people are able to get the information that they had asked for."

A campaign aide says that Cindy McCain made the decision recently, but this was the first time the campaign had had a chance to release the documents.

He added that the moves will exceed those of Teresa Heinz Kerry, also an heiress, when her husband John Kerry was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004. Heinz Kerry made one year of returns public, but withheld some portions of the filing, and did not release the information until the final months of the campaign.

Obama campaigned in Montana Monday while Clinton campaigned in Kentucky the day before the state's primary.

(CNN) — It's all about location, location, location.

Sen. Hillary Clinton will spend Tuesday night in Kentucky to celebrate what's expected to be a big win in that state's primary. But Sen. Barack Obama won't be in Oregon, even though he's favored to win that state's contest Tuesday.

The Illinois senator will appear at a rally in Iowa, where he kicked off the primary season with a January 3 caucus win — a victory that helped propel him to Democratic front-runner status.

Iowa is also a swing state — one President Bush won by just 10,000 votes in 2004, and one the Democrats would love to win this November.

Obama told reporters Sunday that visiting Iowa "was a terrific way to kind of bring things full circle."

Full story

Obama has been focusing lately on campaigning in general election states.

WASHINGTON DC (CNN)– He’s not declaring victory in the Democratic primaries, but if you listen to Barack Obama, you get a clear sense he’s more than ready for a fall fight with John McCain.

“Everybody is surprised that I am standing here. Lets face it, nobody thought a 46 year old black guy named Barack Obama was going to be the Democratic nominee. The reason this has worked is because of you. You decided you wanted to take your government back and that is what we are going to be fighting for all the way through November,” the Senator from Illinois told the crowd at a rally in Oregon Sunday.

An interesting choice of words from a candidate who lately has been careful to not proclaim victory in his long and bitter battle with Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) for the Democratic Presidential nomination.

But there’s more.

"Senator Clinton and I have had a terrific contest and she has been a formidable candidate,” Obama said Sunday while being questioned by reporters. The slip into the past tense is telling.

Obama’s choice of where he holds primary night campaign rallies is also a sign that he’s looking ahead to the general election.

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