WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's fundraising train continued to roll past Hillary Rodham Clinton in Indiana last month, when he collected nearly three times more money than she raised.

Obama raised $218,865 from Hoosiers; Clinton received $79,622, according to reports the candidates filed with Federal Election Commission. Until early this year, Clinton sustained a fundraising lead. But as of the end of March, Obama had raised $883,375 from Indiana donors, more than any presidential contender from either party. Clinton raised $664,254.

Nationwide, Obama has raised $234.7 million; Clinton has raised $189.1 million.

In 15 months of raising money among Hoosiers, the two candidates raised $1.5 million, mostly from the state's population and money center, Indianapolis and its suburbs.

Allen County donors contributed nearly $39,000 to both candidates - $21,000 to Obama from 34 Fort Wayne-area residents and $17,000 to Clinton from 21 county residents.

Of 20 Indiana ZIP code clusters in the Federal Election Commission's database, Clinton outraised Obama in five last month, with the biggest spread - $33,000 - in Kokomo. Clinton also raised more in March than Obama from donors in Carmel, Columbus and a scattering of small towns in southwestern Indiana.

Obama trailed Clinton in the Hoosier money race through the end of January. But he picked up the pace in February, taking in 63 cents of every dollar Hoosier Democrats sent to the two campaigns. In March, he collected 73 cents of every dollar Hoosiers sent to the Democratic contenders.

Clinton and Obama are competing for the Democratic presidential nomination and the state's 72 delegates. Hoosier Democrats will choose between them in the May 6 primary.

Sen. John McCain, who has locked up the Republican nomination, has received nearly $383,000 from Hoosiers since January 2007; of that, $19,000 was donated from people with Fort Wayne-area addresses.

sylviasmith@jg.net