Clinton enlists outside consultants

WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., enlisted more than $1.1 million worth of outside consultants in the first 90 days of her campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination — including two veterans from President Bill Clinton's White House operation, according to her reports to the Federal Election Commission.

The Clinton campaign spent $5.1 million in the first three months of her presidential campaign and incurred another $1.6 million in debts — commitments that brought total campaign costs to $6.7 million during the three months ending March 31.

Clinton's payments and commitments to consultants totaled $1,119,000 for their help in campaign strategy, fund raising, technology, communications and legal and accounting services.

Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign owed more than $277,000 to Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates Inc., the Washington, D.C.-based political consulting firm led by Mark Penn, who served as White House pollster for President Clinton.

Clinton also owed nearly $155,000 to Grunwald Communications, the political and communications consulting firm operated by Mandy Grunwald, advertising director for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign.

The spending reports were part of the financial disclosure statements filed by the Clinton campaign with the Federal Election Commission by Sunday's deadline.

The reports showed the Clinton campaign made 1,333 payments to businesses and individuals during the first three months of operations ending March 31. These expenditures included 165 payments to firms and individuals based in New York state; less than $30,000 went to businesses and individuals in upstate New York — including almost $24,000 paid to New York state for payroll taxes for employees in New York state and $600 to the Verizon office in Albany, N.Y.

Clinton, who polls show has a narrow lead over rivals for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, emerged from the closely watched fund-raising competition with a thin edge over her closest rival, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. She raised $26 million in donations during the reporting period compared to $25.8 million raised by Obama, a newcomer to the national political stage.

But Clinton still holds a substantial financial advantage over Obama thanks to her transfer of $10 million from her 2006 Senate campaign. Clinton had nearly $31 million in cash on March 31 for the next phase of her presidential campaign compared to $19.2 million in cash held by Obama.