Schneider: Could Obama beat Clinton in Round 2?

POSTED: 6:20 p.m. EDT, April 5, 2007

Story Highlights

• Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama's fundraising puts them in a tier by themselves
• Obama raised his money with twice as many donors and smaller amounts
• Obama may be more able to raise funds in the future than Clinton

By Bill Schneider
CNN Senior Political Analyst
WASHINGTON (CNN)

What do the first-quarter fundraising totals tell us about the Democratic race?

It's still early in the game, but the first-quarter results give us some important clues about how the Democratic race is shaping up and show us that New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, with $26 million raised, and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, with $25 million raised, are in a class by themselves.

By nearly matching Clinton in total contributions, Obama proved his campaign is no pick-up team. (Interactive: Campaign finance totals)

Obama argues money follows message: "Sometimes it's the candidate who raises the most money," he said, "but a lot of times it's the candidates with the best message, and the money follows."

Obama has a strong anti-war message