US:BARACK OBAMA raised more money in August than any presidential candidate in history during a single month, taking in $66 million (€46.5 million) and gaining 500,000 new donors.
The fundraising figure gave a boost to the Democratic candidate's campaign after two weeks that saw him lose his national poll lead to John McCain amid the excitement generated by Republican running mate Sarah Palin.
Mr Obama yesterday seized the opportunity offered by the crisis on Wall Street to move the debate on to the economy, pouncing on Mr McCain's claim that the fundamentals of the US economy were strong.
"It's not that I think John McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of most Americans. I just think he doesn't know," Mr Obama told supporters in Colorado.
"Why else would he say that we've made great progress economically under George Bush? Why else would he say that the economy isn't something he understands as well as he should? Why else would he say, today, of all days - just a few hours ago - that the fundamentals of the economy are still strong?"
Mr McCain, who was campaigning in Florida, hit back by inferring that Mr Obama was blaming US workers for the crisis.
"This economic crisis is not the fault of the American people. Our workers are the most innovative, the hardest working, the best skilled, most productive, most competitive in the world," he said.
"My opponents may disagree, but those fundamentals of America are strong. No one can match an American worker. Our workers sell more goods to more markets than any other on Earth. Our workers have always been the strength of our economy, and they remain the strength of our economy today."
Despite Mr Obama's record fundraising numbers, his campaign and the Democratic Party appear to have started September with a little less cash to spend than the Republicans. Mr McCain raised $47 million in August and Republicans overall started this month with more than $100 million cash on hand, compared with about $94 million for the Democrats.
Ms Palin has taken on a heavy fundraising schedule, seeking to capitalise on her popularity among conservatives by appearing at a fundraising event every other day in the coming weeks.
With 50 days to go to election day, the map of battleground states has shrunk as Mr Obama's hopes of winning Republican strongholds like Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana and Montana have dimmed. Mr McCain enjoys a solid lead in Florida and a new poll yesterday put the Republican four points ahead in Ohio.
Mr McCain is hoping to hold all the states US president George Bush won in 2004, but Republicans acknowledge that Mr Obama is likely to pick up a number of states that were close last time, including Iowa and New Mexico.
Mr Obama is targeting Virginia, Colorado and Nevada and is working hard to win Ohio, where Hillary Clinton campaigned on his behalf over the weekend.
Mr McCain is campaigning hard in a number of states John Kerry won in 2004, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Wisconsin.
