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Posted: January 31, 2008 5:28 PM
Obama Camp Reports $32 Million January Haul
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The campaign for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., announced Thursday $32 million in fundraising for the month of January.

“Obviously this contest could go on for some time in the primary,” said campaign manager David Plouffe, according to the New York Times. “If this ends up going through March and April, we think we’re going to have the resources necessary to conduct vigorous campaigns in every state to come.”

Heading into Feb. 5, the funds are already being allocated to TV time and print media to help boost the senator’s exposure as he faces off against Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

“Obama is now advertising in 20 of the 22 states in play for next week’s Super Tuesday and plans to begin advertising in seven more states that hold primaries or caucuses later in February,” the Associated Press
reported.

Ploufe mentioned that while Obama’s win in Iowa helped attract more donors, the day with the highest draw was Jan. 9, the day after Obama narrowly lost the New Hampshire primary to Clinton. He also mentioned the campaign drew 170,000 new donors this month.

Obama faces an uphill battle in the Feb. 5 contest, as recent polls show him leading in only four states: Colorado, Georgia, Kansas and his native Illinois, CBS News reported.

In larger markets, candidates cannot rely on the door-to-door efforts of the volunteers they have depended on in smaller states. Instead, their success becomes based on TV and media buys.

“Our ability to raise this kind of money is going to be critical to transacting what is a very challenging calendar,” Ploufe said, according to the Washington Post.