Clinton raised US$143m in Aug for campaign, party

[WASHINGTON] Hillary Clinton raised US$143 million for her campaign and the Democratic Party last month, her biggest monthly fundraising haul yet in her bid for the White House, her campaign said Thursday.

Of the total, Mrs Clinton raised about US$62 million for her campaign committee, roughly the same amount she garnered in July. About US$81 million of the August total was raised by the Hillary Victory Fund, which divides money among the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and various state parties, according to the statement.

The committees ended August with a combined US$152 million of cash on hand.

"We are heading into the final two months of the race with the resources we need to organise and mobilise millions of voters across the country," campaign manager Robby Mook said in the statement. The campaign said it now has collected money from 2.3 million donors giving an average of US$50.

Mrs Clinton maintained a packed schedule of high-dollar fundraisers in August after Donald Trump's campaign showed signs this summer that its money operation was kicking into gear.

Mr Trump, who hasn't announced how much he raised last month, pulled in about US$80 million for his campaign and the Republican Party in July, ending that month with US$74 million in the bank.

Mrs Clinton, who has spent heavily on advertising and get-out-the-vote operations, has raised more than US$613 million through her campaign and joint fundraising committee since the election cycle began in early 2015. That's well ahead of Mr Trump, who largely financed his primary campaign out of his own pocket.

Altogether, including his own giving, Mr Trump has raised about US$195 million. Earlier Thursday, Mr Trump said that his average donation in August was US$56.

BLOOMBERG