Clinton runs up campaign cash advantage over Trump

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton entered the final phase of her presidential bid with a resounding campaign cash advantage over Donald Trump.

New fundraising reports show her campaign and joint accounts with Democrats had $153 million in the bank as of last week. That's more than double the $68 million Trump's campaign and partnership committees had about on hand.

Clinton's continued fundraising advantage helps ensure the Democratic nominee can keep her sprawling political operation at full strength in the frantic final days of the race. She maintains staff of more than 800 - several times larger than Trump's - and has spent more on advertising than the Republican has every single week of the race.

Over the course of the primary and general elections, Clinton's campaign has hauled in $513 million, roughly double what Trump's has.

She outpaced him again in the first 19 days of October, the new reports show, when her campaign reaped $53 million as his brought in about $30 million.

While Trump, a New York businessman who says he is worth $10 billion, typically makes a personal contribution of about $2 million each month, he had not done so yet in October. The latest contribution reports, up to date as of Wednesday, show he had given a little more than $33,000 this month.

The candidates and many outside groups involved in the presidential race are filing their final pre-election fundraising reports on Thursday.

An outside group backing Clinton also kept a formidable fundraising pace this month.

Priorities USA raised $18 million in 19 days. As a super PAC, Priorities can take unlimited contributions from wealthy donors, but it may not co-ordinate with the campaign on how to spend money. Some of its biggest most recent donors include Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and Susan Mandel, the wife of a hedge fund founder, who each put in $2.5 million this month.

Priorities USA has been spending most of its money on TV ads. It plans to spend $20 million on ads this week and next, according to Kantar Media's political ad tracker.