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WASHINGTON — Sen. Joseph Biden, D: $2 million.

Gov. Bill Richardson begins the next stretch of the 2008 presidential race with about $5 million in the bank, far less than the $26 million raised by front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton, but enough to let him stay in the race and make his case.

"We're building momentum, and we're going to continue. You're going to see the hiring of additional personnel," campaign spokesman Pahl Shipley told The Tribune on Sunday.

Campaigns, both Democratic and Republican, made a frantic push to raise dollars before Saturday's first-quarter midnight deadline. The official tallies won't be reported to the Federal Election Commission until April 15, but some campaigns announced preliminary numbers Sunday.

It began with the Clinton campaign, which announced the New York Democrat had raised a record $26 million from January through March and transferred another $10 million from her Senate campaign fund.

Then the campaign of former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards announced he had raised more than $14 million in the same period.

Shipley, who last week said Richardson wouldn't announce fund-raising totals until mid-April, then came out to say the campaign raised about $6 million and had about $5 million left.

Neither the Clinton nor Edwards campaigns had totals for cash-on-hand.

The first-quarter fund-raising was seen by many as a major bench mark for the huge group of candidates, both parties, by showing which had attracted enough interest to keep their campaigns alive.

Conspicuously absent from the first-quarter announcement was Sen. Barack Obama, Illinois Democrat, although several political tip sheets suggested he would call in more than $20 million.

Republicans Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani also announced their first-quarter totals today.

Shipley was optimistic about the Richardson effort. "We have a lean, efficient campaign. We're on goal. We're on budget, and we're very pleased with our progress," he said.

University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato was somewhat impressed as well, calling Richardson's $6 million "not a bad total for a second-tier candidate."

"Clinton did very well, for sure," Sabato said. "But she has not blown her opponents out of the water. To the contrary, money alone will clearly not win her the nomination.

"A large majority of the money raised is for candidates other than Clinton, suggesting that if it ever comes down to Clinton versus one other politician, that other pol will have a real shot to get more money and votes," he said.

Richardson raised more money in the first quarter than two other candidates considered in the second tier, Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Chris Dodd of Connecticut, but like Clinton they also bolstered their campaigns with money transferred from their Senate campaigns.

Aides to Dodd said he raised more than $4 million in the quarter, but transferred nearly $5 million from his Senate campaign account and had $7.5 million cash on hand.

Biden had receipts close to $4 million for the quarter, including $2 million from his Senate campaign, an aide said Sunday.

Richardson cannot legally transfer funds from his campaign for governor, which was not subject to the same contribution limits as federal campaigns.

Richardson's $6 million seems meager next to Clinton, Obama and Edwards, but it compares favorably to previous elections.

Republican Phil Gramm of Texas and Democrat Al Gore of Tennessee once held the records for first-quarter receipts with not much more than Richardson raised. Gramm posted $8.7 million, while Gore raised $8.9 million in 1999.

Clinton's spokesman, Howard Wolfson, said he isn't surprised other campaigns are raising money, too.

"There is an enormous amount of enthusiasm in the Democratic Party for change," Wolfson said.

In a campaign appearance here last week, Richardson conceded he would never match Clinton and Obama in the money chase.

"I'm not a rock star. I'm not going to have all the money and resources that probably two candidates have. But in the fund-raising I'm going to do well. I'm going to be respectable," he said. "And you know who settles elections in this country. It's voters, not money."

Biden took the same view on Fox News Sunday.

"If people think we're going to pick a nominee based on how much money they have rather than based on their ideas, I think they vastly underestimate the Democratic electorate in these primaries," Biden said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.