NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Critical to the race for the presidency is cash -- and so far, President Bush is winning that race easily, with his most likely Democratic opponent, Senator John Kerry, running a distant second.

Bush has so far raised about $130 million in his campaign for re-election, and -- with no opposition for the Republican nomination -- he has spent only about $30 million of that so far.

The Democratic candidates are not just battling for votes, they are also battling for dollars. CNNfn's Louise Schiavone take a closer look at who has the money and how much. Play video (Real or Windows Media)

Sen. Kerry got off to a slow start last year, raising just $25.2 million in 2003.

But victories in caucuses and primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire, Missouri and elsewhere in recent weeks have helped the lawmaker from Massachusetts generate about $5 million this year alone. And the wide media coverage of those events means he has to spend less money to stay in the public eye.

"By winning in Iowa and winning in New Hampshire, the press carried his message," said Evan Tracey, an analyst with TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group. "And by the press carrying your message, that means there's hundreds of thousands of dollars a day that you don't have to spend on your own TV ads."

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean was the Democrats' fund-raising champion in 2003, generating more than $41 million, mostly in small donations over the Internet.

But his campaign strategy involved spending heavily in Iowa and New Hampshire. When he failed to win either of those states, he found himself close to broke and in a difficult fund-raising position as an also-ran with fading momentum. So far this year, he has raised about $3 million, and his staff recently took a pay cut.

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Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, on the other hand, has gained momentum with strong showings in several primaries and caucuses this year, including a victory in South Carolina. In total, he has raised about $20 million during his campaign and about $1.6 million since the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 19.

Similarly, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, with a primary victory in Oklahoma and strong fund-raising last year despite a late start in the campaign, has stayed afloat financially. He raised about $13.8 million in 2003 and another $2 million so far this year.

But Clark also has asked some of his staff to forgo pay to help fund an upcoming million-dollar ad campaign in Tennessee, which adjoins his home state of Arkansas.  

-- Reporting by CNNfn Washington correspondent Louise Schiavone