Intellectual Property Law

Supporters have poured more than $4 million into the coffers of senator Hillary Clinton's campaign following the New York senator's Tuesday victories in the Democratic primaries in the states of Ohio, Rhode Island and Texas.

That was the amount as of 11.30 am Pacific time on the front page of Clinton's campaign web site.

The campaign's shooting for $6 million by the end of the day.

"We're doing well in this campaign, we've just received three million dollars over the Internet in the 24 hours following Hillary's win on Tuesday -- we're going to have the funds we need to keep this campaign going, to keep Hillary Clinton's message out there," said Ann Lewis, a senior Clinton campaign adviser to reporters on a Thursday morning conference call.

The online giving seems to indicate a reversal in sentiment among supporters on Clinton's chances of securing the Democratic nomination for president in the wake of Tuesday's string of victories.

Clinton had to lend her campaign $5 million in January.

While the surge still hasn't surpassed Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's $6 million day in December, or Democratic nomination rival Barack Obama's strong fund-raising  performance online after his February 5 victories, it points to the growing role and importance of the internet as a fundamental force in changing the dynamics of funding political races.

While now DNC-chair Howard Dean's presidential campaign first pioneered the trend back in 2004 race, the phenomenon has  grown exponentially in the 2008 cycle, along with an overall record-level surge in campaign finance giving during the cycle.

Arizona senator John McCain raised a million dollars in the 2004 Republican presidential campaign after his victory in New Hampshire and Democrat John Kerry raised $5 million online after he won the Democratic nomination.

Clinton needs the funds to continue to battle Obama on the airwaves and on the ground in the increasingly bitter fight to win the Democratic nomination for president -- Obama spent three times as much as Clinton's campaign on advertising in the March 4 battleground states.

Wyoming holds its Democratic presidential primary this Sunday March 9. Mississippi holds its primary next Tuesday March 11, and Pennsylvania holds its primary April 22.

Update: The Obama campaign finally reports that it raised a staggering $55 million in February. It's not clear how much of that came through online, but it blows the Clinton's campaign's $35 million away, and as the NYT reports, Massachusetts senator John Kerry's previous one-month record of $44 million away.

See Also:

• Online Campaign 2008: A Phishing Bonanza?
• Ron Paul Supporters Make History with $6 Million Online Haul ...
• Clinton's Fund-raising Takes Off Online Post New Hampshire
• Obama Campaign Raises More Than $6 million Post Super Tuesday
• Obama Raises More Than $4 million Online Over the Weekend
• Obama Sweeps Three States; Clinton Raises $9 Million Online
• Scoop: Clinton raised $8 million online in 3Q