New York: US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton raised a record $26 million for her presidential campaign in the first three months of this year, her aides announced Sunday.

The amount outdistanced past presidential election records and showed the strength of Hillary's presidential campaign.

Hillary's aides said they have also transferred an additional $10 million left over from her Senate campaign last year.

There was no immediate fundraising figure for Clinton's top Democratic rival, Barack Obama, but his supporters have estimated that he has raised somewhere $18 million to $25 million.

Obama, in the race for less than three months, has launched a major Internet fundraising push that brought in over 100,000 donations.

Compared with previous elections, attention to fundraising during the first three months of this year has been especially acute because the leading candidates have decided to forgo public financing for the primaries.

The Federal Election Commission ruled recently that candidates could collect general election money now but the general election money can only be spent if the candidate wins the nomination.