Hillary brings in $35 million to pull ahead of Obama

Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton ended September with more money in the bank than presidential rival Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, holding $35 million cash on hand for the presidential primary contests to his $32 million.

Both were far ahead of Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York mayor and money leader on the Republican side, underscoring the financial disparity between the parties. Mr. Giuliani reported $11.6 million in the bank for the Republican primary.

The senator from New York, who trailed Mr. Obama in fundraising and in money in the bank at the end of June, edged past him with aggressive third-quarter fund raising.

Mr. Giuliani spent $13 million between July and September, his biggest spending quarter yet, as he positioned himself as his party’s national front-runner for the presidential nomination.

Former Sen. Fred Thompson, who didn’t officially enter the presidential contest until early September, reported spending $5.7 million during that three-month period, more than half of it last month.

All presidential candidates were required to file their third-quarter reports with the FEC by midnight yesterday.

Mr. Giuliani raised $11.6 million during the quarter, with about $10 million of it available now for his contest for the GOP nomination, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission. His campaign listed $16.6 million cash on hand, $11.6 million available for the primaries, with the rest designated for the general election.

Mr. Thompson, whose report covers fundraising and spending since June, when he began exploring entry into the presidential contest, raised $12.8 million during that four-month period. He reported $7.1 million in the bank at the end of the period, as well as $678,000 in debt.

Mr. Thompson raised $9.3 million of his $12.8 million total during July-September.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona reported raising $5.7 million in the third quarter.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee reported raising $1 million during the summer, his best quarter so far. He had $650,000 cash on hand after spending nearly $820,000 in the quarter.