McCain raises over $15 mln in March: source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain raised more than $15 million for his White House bid in March, a campaign source said on Monday, putting the Arizona senator well behind his Democratic rivals.

New York Sen. Hillary Clinton raised some $20 million last month and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama took in more than $40 million.

McCain, who has wrapped up his party's presidential nomination, has spent a great deal of his time doing fundraising events in recent weeks while his Democratic rivals compete for their party's top spot.

"We raised more than 15 million last month," a McCain campaign source said on condition of anonymity, declining to give a breakdown of where and how the money had been raised.

Clinton and Obama have shattered fundraising records with big hauls in recent months.

Obama's $40 million raised last month was less than the $55 million his campaign brought in during February, which was an all-time high for any presidential candidate during a primary.

McCain's campaign ran short of cash last year and nearly crumbled, but he turned it around on a tight budget and started winning primaries. He raised $11.7 million in January and nearly $11 million in February.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Peter Cooney)