Political Contributions

Confronting a string of primary defeats, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign scurried to reassure anxious donors Wednesday, and the candidate struck a more combative tone to ramp up pressure on Sen. Barack Obama heading into the next contests. Clinton held a morning conference call with top donors, one day after she lost Democratic primaries in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

From his South Texas home, Chuck Barracato watches the news to see how Barack Obama is doing. When Barracato is moved by Obama's message or senses that the Illinois senator could use some help, he digs into his savings and chips in $25 for the candidate's presidential campaign. Barracato's payments, sent by computer click, add up to $700, maybe a little more.

For the better part of two decades, Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton have counted on the support and money of the Tsakopoulos clan of the Sacramento Valley. Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis is one of Sen. Clinton's most active fundraisers, having hosted numerous Northern California galas for her Democratic presidential campaign. Patriarch Angelo Tsakopoulos, a major Sacramento developer and one of the former president's early California backers, supports the New York senator as well.

Sen. Barack Obama amassed three times more money than Sen. John McCain in January, even though the Republican had his best fundraising month of the campaign, finance reports filed Wednesday show. Obama raised $36.1 million in January -- the second-biggest month for a presidential candidate, according to the Federal Election Commission. Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry had a $40-million month in May 2004. In a reflection of Sen.

Southern California businessman Abdul Rehman Jinnah has agreed to plead guilty to funneling tens of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions to Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barbara Boxer, prosecutors said Wednesday. Jinnah is expected to formally enter his plea next week in Los Angeles federal district court. He could face more than a year in prison.

Southern California businessman Abdul Rehman Jinnah pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to directing illegal campaign contributions to Democratic Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barbara Boxer of California. Jinnah is scheduled to be sentenced in June. He could face more than a year in prison for reimbursing employees and associates for political donations made in their names.

Barack Obama raised $55 million in February, $20 million more than Hillary Rodham Clinton and a record sum for a single month in any presidential campaign, aides to the Democratic candidate said Thursday. Obama's success reflected a sharp resurgence of Democratic fundraising. New numbers showed Republicans lagging behind their rivals and well below their efforts of four years ago. Much of the difference came from the Internet.

The California Senate offers special interests that give money to its charity the opportunity to travel with state lawmakers to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Jerusalem, Tokyo and other foreign locales. The Senate uses its staff -- paid by taxpayers -- to help make travel plans for the contributors, some donors said. The donors are mostly corporate interests with business before the Legislature who get federal tax deductions for their contributions.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, who are running for president as economic populists, are benefiting handsomely from Wall Street donations, easily surpassing Republican John McCain in campaign contributions from the troubled financial services sector. It is part of a broader fundraising shift toward Democrats, compared to past campaigns when Republicans were the favorites of Wall Street.

Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby, who earlier this month admitted using political contributions to pay for a hotel stay during a spat with his wife, spent nearly $8,000 from his campaign account in the last months of 2007 on unexplained charges, campaign finance records show.