That is, of course, the question that has to be asked as Barack Obama has an incredible fundraising success.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama raised $32 million in the single month of January, a whopping figure that has permitted the campaign to boost staff and extend advertising to states beyond the sweeping Feb. 5 contests, aides said Thursday.

The amount was the most raised in one month by a presidential candidate who still faced a primary challenge.

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. Rival Hillary Rodham Clinton is advertising in 12 Super Tuesday states, including her home state of New York.

With John Edwards out of the race, Clinton and Obama are in a fierce race for delegates to secure the nomination. Feb. 5 offers the biggest single opportunity for delegates, but it is impossible for either one to seal the nomination on that day.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said the campaign attracted 170,000 new donors for a total of 650,000 donors overall. The $32 million raised in one month matches the campaign's best three-month fundraising period in 2007, when the campaign raised $30 million in primary money and $2 million for the general. The money raised in January was all for the primaries.

But donations don't equal electoral success. If it did, Ron Paul would be the GOP nominee presumptive instead of a crank with a handful obnoxious supporters and a strong challenger for his congressional seat. And the polls keep showing Hillary Clinton ahead, with Edwards supporters breaking her way. Obama might be energizing new people, much as Howard Dean did, but that doesn't automatically translate into wooing the long-time party faithful.

Posted by: Greg at 10:50 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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