Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was forced to loan herself $6.4 million over the last month to remain competitive with Sen. Barack Obama, her campaign disclosed this morning.
Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said Mrs. Clinton of New York loaned herself $5 million on April 11 before the contest in Pennsylvania, another $1 million at the beginning of May and $420,000 on the eve of the primaries in Indiana and North Carolina.
“The loans are a sign of Senator Clinton’s commitment to the race,” Mr. Wolfson told reporters on a conference call.
He said Mrs. Clinton had a good fundraising month — including $10 million raised online following her Pennsylvania victory — but noted Mr. Obama, who has reached the milestone of 1.5 million donors, had a “better” month.
Mrs. Clinton will attend a rally in West Virginia this afternoon. Voters in that state head to the polls next Tuesday. She holds a wide lead there and in Kentucky, which votes May 20.
Also today, Mrs. Clinton will meet with undecided superdelegates — elected officials and party activists who will determine the nominee with their votes at the convention — on Capitol Hill.
Her campaign said she will argue that Mr. Obama “has not yet proven he can win blue-collar” workers while Mrs. Clinton has demonstrated she can. She also will say she is the stronger Democrat to face presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona because of her wins in swing states.
Mrs. Clinton loaned herself $5 million from her family’s personal fortune — tax returns showed she and her husband have earned more than $100 million since former President Clinton left the White House — before Super Tuesday in February.
The total she has loaned herself is $11.4 million.
The former first lady and her daughter Chelsea will attend a fundraiser tonight in Washington.
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