CLINTON REPORTS RAISING $35 MILLION IN FEBRUARY

Top aides to Senator Clinton said she raised $35 million for the month of February, a significant haul that comes weeks after she loaned her campaign $5 million to finance operations through Super Tuesday.

The total, which he campaign said came from more than 200,000 donors, was her largest in a single month and more than twice the $14 million she raised in January, but it is likely to fall short of what Senator Obama took in for the month.

His campaign said only that he outraised Mrs. Clinton but reports put his take at around $50 million, which would be a record for the campaign. While Mrs. Clinton will have the resources to run credible campaigns in crucial March 4 states Ohio and Texas, Mr. Obama is outspending her in both states, allowing him to run more television advertising and build a more extensive ground operation.

JAMES BAKER III BACKS McCAIN FOR PRESIDENT

Senator McCain secured the endorsement yesterday of a former secretary of state in the first Bush administration, James Baker III, giving him the support of yet another Republican Party elder as he looks to wrap up the presidential nomination. A former chief of staff under President Reagan, Mr. Baker also served as secretary of the treasury during the 1980s and was most recently tapped by the current President Bush to serve as co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group.

He is widely respected on foreign policy matters, although he is viewed warily by some stalwart supporters of Israel. In a statement, Mr. Baker said Mr. McCain “has the critical leadership qualities, real-world experience, and resolute moral compass that our next president will need in order to responsibly address the daunting global and domestic challenges that lie ahead.”

POLL SHOWS McCAIN LEADING OBAMA IN FLORIDA

Polls may show Senator Obama topping Senator McCain nationally, but a new survey in Florida gives the Arizona Republican a double-digit lead in that crucial swing state.

The poll by Mason-Dixon has Mr. McCain at 47% and Mr. Obama at 37% in a hypothetical general election match-up. The survey shows Mr. McCain with a nine point lead over Senator Clinton.

NADER ANNOUNCES RUNNING MATE

Longshot presidential hopeful Ralph Nader has already beaten his major party in one derby: picking a running mate. The independent, anti-corporate candidate announced in Washington yesterday that a former Green Party mayoral contender in San Francisco, Matthew Gonzalez, would be his vice presidential pick.

Mr. Gonzalez, 42, has served as president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and ran a competitive race for mayor in the city in 2003, securing 47% of the vote in losing to the Democratic candidate, Gavin Newsom, who took 53%.

Messrs. Nader and Gonzalez said they would run as independent candidates and would not seek the Green Party line. After a career as a consumer advocate, Mr. Nader sought the presidency in 2000 and 2004.

ANOTHER SUPERDELEGATE FLIPS FROM CLINTON TO OBAMA

For the second straight day, Senator Obama picked up the superdelegate who had previously endorsed Senator Clinton. A Texas state representative from Houston, Senfronia Thompson, announced the switch yesterday, giving Mr. Obama an added boost in one of the four states that vote on March 4.

On Wednesday, he gained the support of a civil rights leader from Georgia, Rep. John Lewis, who had endorsed Mrs. Clinton. Both legislators are African Americans who were under intense pressure to back a candidate who has won about 80% of the black vote in the Democratic race to date.