Clinton, Obama go
head-to-head in Chicago fund-raisers

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both asked supporters to open their wallets Monday at dueling fund-raisers in downtown Chicago.

Clinton's fund-raiser was planned long before Obama's event was announced. The Obama campaign wouldn't discuss why it scheduled a fund-raiser at the same time.

Joe Power Jr., a Chicago attorney helping raise money for Clinton, called it ''kind of shocking'' that Obama would schedule a rival event.

''Apparently, when they learned about it, they set up a conflicting fund-raiser,'' Power said. ''I wasn't impressed by that.''

In the first three months of the year Obama raised $3.73 million in Illinois, compared with $373,000 for Clinton, according to their reports to the Federal Election Commission.

Obama supporter John Schmidt said the event probably had more to do with scheduling than with trying to irk Clinton, largely because of Obama's huge lead in Illinois fund-raising.

''I don't think anybody sees that as much of a real competition,'' said Schmidt, also a Chicago attorney.

Clinton may be best known for her years in Arkansas with Bill Clinton and as a senator in New York State, but she grew up in the Chicago suburbs. (AP)