Democrat John Edwards officially eligible for public funds

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Election Commission says John Edwards is officially eligible for federal matching money to help finance his presidential campaign.

Today’s announcement acknowledges that the former North Carolina senator has met the minimum requirements to obtain money from the Presidential Public Funding Program. The program is financed by taxpayers who set aside $3 for the fund in their tax returns.

Edwards’ fundraising has been lagging far behind rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. Between January and the end of September, he had raised $30 million while Obama and Clinton had raised $80 million each.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)