[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/04/21/art.clintondebt.ap.jpg caption="Hillary Clinton began the month with $10 million in debt."](CNN) - Hillary Clinton began one of the most crucial stretches of her presidential campaign in debt, newly disclosed financial reports show.
According to campaign reports filed with the Federal Election Commission over the weekend, the New York senator began the month of April with close to $32 million cash-on hand. But only $9 million of that total are funds that are able to be spent in the primary races. The report also showed Clinton owes more than $10 million, meaning the Democratic presidential candidate was in the red even before she heavily stepped up television advertising in Pennsylvania.
"The numbers are what they are," Clinton adviser Howard Wolfson said on a conference call with reporters. "The money continues to come in strongly. We had a very good month last month of fundraising…we are continuing to have a good month this month."
We will of course be honoring the debt in the coming weeks and months," he also said.
The newly released reports offer the clearest picture to date of just how much of an advantage Barack Obama holds over Clinton heading into the final stretch of the prolonged Democratic race for the White House.
According to the reports, he began the month with over $42 million to spend during the presidential primaries and only carried around $650,000 in debt. Obama has $52 million cash on hand overall.
As has already been disclosed by both campaigns, Obama more than doubled what Clinton raised in the month of March: $41 million to her $20 million. The Illinois senator's stunning haul brings his presidential fundraising total to date to $235 million - $60 million more than what Clinton has raised in the same time period.
John McCain lagged both Democrats in March fundraising - pulling in $15 million in that time period. He began the month with $11.6 million cash-on-hand and, a debt of just over $700,000. He's raised a total of about $75 million.
The report also shows he gave back nearly $3 million from donors for his general election campaign. This move could indicate he is setting the stage to receive public financing for his campaign - an option that will infuse the Arizona senator with $84 million.
(12:45 p.m.: Updates with Wolfson comments)
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Filed under: Candidate Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • John McCain |
Well there you have it...
Ouch. No wonder she can't pay all those vendors in other states to whom her campaign owes money.
PA.. this should tell you. If she can't keep her budget together. What do you think america is going to look like.. Can't run a campaign, Can't run a country.
And to think some of you want this woman to run our country. She can't even run her own campaign...
One of the many reasons I do not feel she will be a good president. Her campaign is messy and unorganized, and she clearly is not able to manage her own money, which is nothing at all like managing the money for this country.
Her cash cows are drying up.
Maybe Paul vs Clinton is why? Dirty backroom politicians are being weeded out.
OBAMA 08
Poor management! She sure cannot run the country if she can't manage her campaign.
And HRC supporters want to trust this woman with running the country?!?! She can't even run her own campaign right!
Obama has 2 fat billionaires behind him using every loophole in the book to send him money, Obama and Romney seem to have the same pattern, they outspend their opponents 3 to one and still loose.
This is why biased CNN is trailing Fox News in ratings.
Ooooooh, PA, I hope she pays her debts to you!
Fight hard and fair. Let's get to work.
Obama 08
How will this make her a better President????
How will this make her the candidate to fix our economy????
It is mind-boggling how much money is involved in these campaigns.
Exxon has a profit of 174.53 BILLION since 2002. American people look stupid an abused.
Bow out
With so many people claiming that they love Billary and want her to win..................where is the support.
Just one of many signs that say the "END" is near for Billary.
Obama 08
nice to know Obama is wasting all that money and still is going to loose PA!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obama Richardson 2008
that's what happens when you go on the attack!!!
He's going to buy this thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think the flashing light we see may be the "game over" signal.........
Hillary can't win and she knows it.....so she's trying to destroy Obama
with her nasty kitchen sink strategy........it's the Clinton trademark.
Thak God Obama is finally not taking this trash talk anymore !!!!
Not even the best Hilary supporter can honestly say that a campaign going into debt is not a bad sign. Is this how she would run the economy? Its certainly how Bush has ran it.
She can't even manage her campaign and she wants to run this country?
Wondering how is she going to manage the ECONOMY "ISSUE # 1".
People open your eyes...
GOD BLESS AMERICA. God Bless our leaders.