Clinton Has $14 Million for Senate Campaign

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has nearly $14 million in the bank for her 2006 reelection campaign after raising more than $5 million in the three-month period that ended Sept. 30, aides said Friday.

Statewide polls have shown the Democrat far ahead of her declared or potential opponents, while national polls show her as a front-runner for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Republican Gov. George E. Pataki on Friday endorsed Westchester County Dist. Atty. Jeanine Pirro as the GOP challenger to Clinton.

That prompted one of Pirro’s rivals for the Senate nomination, Manhattan lawyer Edward Cox, to quit the race. Cox is a son-in-law of President Nixon.

“Ed Cox is a man of integrity who has shown great leadership in his run for the United States Senate,” Pirro said in a statement. “Ed Cox will continue to be a rising star in the Republican Party.”

When Pirro declared her candidacy in August, she accused Clinton of using New York to further a presidential ambition.

“If Hillary wants to be president, she should be honest with herself and her constituents -- and say so,” Pirro said at the time.

Pirro reported her campaign had raised $438,555 since she entered the race Aug. 7 and had $363,921 in the bank at the end of September.

Her campaign manager, Brian Donahue, said Pataki’s endorsement would help Pirro’s fund-raising efforts.