Obama has cash advantage

What is more, the Republican National Committee already has enough cash on hand to redress the financing imbalance between the candidates and is planning a major fundraising effort to get more. Recent campaign finance reports showed that the RNC and McCain combined had more cash on hand than Obama and the Democratic National Committee. Parties can raise money at $28,500 per donor -- as opposed to the $2,300 cap on individual donations to candidates -- and use it to pay for ads, get-out-the-vote efforts and other campaign-related activities to help their candidates.

Already, McCain is airing ads in battleground states, starting his general-election offensive before Democrats even picked their nominee.

But Obama's triumph over Clinton served McCain notice of his prowess at raising money from small donors and over the Internet. His success at raising small-dollar donations is significant because he can return to small donors and ask for more money.

A measure of his power on the Internet: Since shortly before midnight Tuesday, at least 50 people have created Web pages seeking money for Obama on the Democratic fundraising site ActBlue. No Republican site comes close to matching ActBlue, which has raised $48 million since its creation in 2004, much of it in small donations.

Obama and his backers are also reaching out to Clinton's high-end donors -- albeit gingerly, knowing that many are pained over her apparent loss.

"The discussions have been ongoing," said Howard W. Gutman, a Washington attorney on Obama's national finance team. "I'm sure there are more and more Clinton people who are willing to talk longer. . . . It is a growing movement. People take a while to come around."

A key Clinton backer predicted that eventually her allies will let bygones be bygones.

"Today, many of our members are discouraged, angry and upset," said Ellen R. Malcolm, founder of EMILY's List, which raises millions each election for female Democratic candidates supporting abortion rights and which strongly backed Clinton.

"We'll go through the process of dealing with that emotional experience," she added. "Way before November, we will be united to do our work to help elect a Democratic ticket."

Whatever cash Obama ends up with, it may help him force McCain to compete and spend money in states that otherwise might have been considered safe GOP territory.

McCain also is trying to lure Clinton's donors.

Los Angeles entrepreneur Sim Farar, a Clinton national finance committee chairman, said that the Arizona Republican left him a voice-mail Friday asking for a meeting. He also has received calls from two of Obama's top fundraisers, one of them former California Controller Steve Westly.

--

janet.hook@latimes.com

dan.morain@latimes.com

Times staff writer Doyle McManus contributed to this report.