100,000 People Hear Obama Speak in St. Louis; 75,000 in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Democrat Barack Obama turned out enormous crowds at his two stops in battleground Missouri on Saturday in what campaign aides said was a strategy of using his ability to command huge crowds as a way to build excitement heading into the final two weeks of the presidential campaign.

An estimated 100,000 people showed up in St. Louis Saturday morning to hear Obama speak at the Gateway Arch — the largest crowd ever to hear Obama in the United States.

Saturday evening, a crowd estimated at more than 75,000 thronged the Liberty Memorial near downtown Kansas City for an Obama rally.

Obama Shatters Fundraising Records by Raising $150 Million in September

The Obama campaign announced this morning that it had raised a record $150 million last month, and had added 632,000 new donors to its total.

The amount shattered the campaign’s previous record from August. The McCain campaign also had a record-breaking month in August, but is now operating with the $84 million provided by public financing for the general cycle and assistance from the Republican National Committee under certain limits.

In announcing the Obama figure, David Plouffe, the campaign manager, said the average donation for September was less than $100. Mr. Obama, however, did hold several mega fund-raisers in September that pumped millions of dollars each into his coffers, including a Barbra Streisand-Hollywood event that alone collected a reported $11 million.

And perhaps most importantly:

General Colin Powell Endorses Obama

WASHINGTON — Retired General Colin Powell, President Bush’s former secretary of state and an influential Republican, endorsed Barack Obama today, a major political move which boosts Obama’s credentials as a potential commander-in-chief and could influence moderate Republicans and independent voters — two constituencies John McCain, Obama’s GOP rival, is depending on to stay competitive with Obama in crucial swing states.