Obama Raises More Than $40 Million in March

By Michael Luo
New York Times Blog

Updated | 1:20 p.m. Senator Barack Obama’s campaign continued its fund-raising tear in March, albeit at a slightly slower rate than the record-setting pace it set the month before, bringing in more than $40 million, campaign officials said today.

More than 442,000 people contributed to the campaign in March, with more than 218,000 of them giving for the first time. The average contribution in March was $96; the total number of contributors to date comes to 1,276,000.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton raised about $20 million in March, according to a Clinton fund-raiser who spoke on condition of anonymity because the number has not yet been officially released by the campaign.

By way of comparison, more than 385,000 people gave for the first time to Mr. Obama in February, when the campaign raised about $55 million and Mrs. Clinton brought in about $36 million.