Barack Obama Raises $25 Million in the First Quarter

Senator Barack Obama just announced his fundraising total for the first quarter, and it rocks. The AP has the story:

DAVENPORT, Iowa - Democrat Barack Obama raked in $25 million for his presidential bid in the first three months of 2007, placing him on a par with front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton and dashing her image as the party’s inevitable nominee.
The donations came from an eye-popping 100,000 donors, the campaign said in a statement.
The figure was the latest evidence that Obama, a political newcomer who has served just two years in the Senate, has emerged as the most powerful new force in presidential politics this year. It also reinforced his status as a significant threat to Clinton, who’d hoped her own $26 million first quarter fundraising total would begin to squeeze her rivals out of contention.

Having worked in politics, I have to express my admiration, first at the accomplishment, and second at the panache with which Obama’s campaign worked the story. Most candidates reported their first quarter totals on Sunday. Obama waited, letting Senator Clinton’s record setting total sink in with the media, and then demonstrated that he can meet her, and in some respects beat her.
This deft piece of timing made this a bigger story than it would have been had Obama released the numbers when the other candidates did. By waiting, Obama built up the suspense and highlighted the strength of his support and campaign organization. Nicely done.