WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spent US$87.5 million last month and began October with nearly US$134 million in the bank.
The numbers illustrate his vast financial advantage over John McCain, his Republican rival, in the final stretch of the contest. McCain ended September with US$47 million in the bank.
Obama, who raised a record-shattering US$150 million in September, filed his campaign finance report with the Federal Election Commission overnight. The numbers became available on the FEC Web site Tuesday morning.
McCain is accepting public financing and cannot raise money. He is limited to US$84 million for the two months before Election Day.
Both candidates are also getting help from their respective parties. The Democratic National Committee had US$27.4 million in hand at the end of the month. The Republican National Committee said it had US$77 million.
That helps close the gap, but Democrats still hold a considerable US$37 million advantage.
Moreover, Obama's US$5 million-a-day fundraising rate has likely continued in October and will widen the financial gap between the two sides.
By having the bulk of the money within his campaign, Obama also retains far more control over how it is spent.
He spent US$65 million in advertising in September to McCain's $22 million. In October, he has outspent McCain 4-1 in advertising. Even with Republican Party ads in the mix, Obama has had more than a 2-1 advertising edge. He also spent US$2 million on Internet advertising.
He reported spending US$3.2 million on payroll, nearly three times more than McCain.
Obama's resources have also permitted him to venture into what had been GOP strongholds -- states that had traditionally voted for Republican presidential candidates. The economic crisis and President Bush's extraordinarily low approval ratings have made those states ripe for Obama.
With so much money, Obama has been making sizable contributions to Democratic parties in key battleground states. He distributed more than US$7 million to party committees, including $1.7 million to the Florida party and US$1 million to the Ohio Democrats. Among other state parties receiving US$400,000 or more were those in Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Missouri. Virginia's received US$390,000.
