Democrats out-raise Republicans threefold

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Campaign analysts said the enormous war chest raised by U.S. Democratic presidential hopefuls will allow them to unleash activists and dominate the airwaves.

"More Democrats are going to be engaged in the race at a very early stage, which doesn't bode well for Republicans in the general election," Anthony Corrado, a political science professor at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, told USA Today.

The Democrats' ability to raise three times more money than Republican rivals is a measure of the strength Democrats have over Republicans going into the 2008 contest, Corrado said.

"This speaks to the enormous energy among Democratic voters," Corrado said.

As of this week, Democrats Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.; Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.; former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.; and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson have a total of about $104 million cash in their coffers, while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn.; and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., combined have about $36.5 million, USA Today said.