Sanders raised most money in February, but Clinton tops on foreign soil

WASHINGTON, March 21 (UPI) -- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders outraised and outspent former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the race for the White House for the second consecutive month but continues to play catch-up in the polls.

Sanders pulled in $43.5 million to Clinton's $29.5 million and spent $40.9 million to her $31.5 million in February. That left Sanders $17.2 million in the bank to Clinton's $30.8 million as March began, campaign finance reports show.

At the same time, Clinton outpaced all other 2016 presidential candidates, both Democrats and Republicans, for fundraisers on foreign soil, the non-partisan Sunlight Foundation said. Federal Elections Commission prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions but "green card holders [i.e., individuals lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the U.S.] are not considered foreign nationals and, as a result, may contribute."

Clinton herself has yet to attend any of the fundraisers, instead counting on her daughter Chelsea and notables who include fashion icon Anna Wintour as surrogates.

"Clinton's campaign has held eight total fundraisers in London, including two in March. And her offshore fundraising operation has so far reached Munich, [Germany], with one fundraiser; Durban, South Africa with one fundraiser; and Mexico City with two fundraisers," the Sunlight Foundation said.

On the Republican side, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz entered March $5.6 million in the hole in his battle against front-runner Donald Trump. For his part, Trump loaned his campaign $24.4 million through the election cycle, with $6.9 million in February alone.

The latest campaign filing also shows former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who dropped his presidential bid in late February, loaned his campaign $250,000 in its final struggling month.