Today on the Presidential Campaign Trail

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IN THE HEADLINES

Wife's beer fortune gives McCain access to wealthy lifestyle — but the millions remain hers ... Trinity United Church of Christ offered Obama a faith that also called for social action ... Clinton, Obama hunt for money in California; Clinton rings the phone in ad against McCain

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Beer executive could be next first lady

WASHINGTON (AP) — On a spring day at a speedway in the South, John McCain posed with his wife, Cindy, and racing star Dale Earnhardt Jr., highlighting the couple's political and business interests in a single snapshot.

McCain served as honorary starter of the NASCAR race that weekend in Charlotte, N.C. Earnhardt drove the Budweiser car, painted military camouflage, rather than its trademark red, to honor the troops.

Budweiser, then NASCAR's official beer, is brewed by Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., whose products have made Cindy McCain and her family a fortune.

The brewer sold toy replicas of its race car to aid the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and publicized its support for the group, on whose board John McCain served and whose chairman later endorsed him. The speedway appearance helped McCain court NASCAR voters, and his campaign circulated video of the event over the Internet.

The McCains' marriage has mixed business and politics from the beginning, according to an expansive review by The Associated Press of thousands of pages of campaign, personal finance, real estate and property records nationwide. The paperwork chronicles the McCains' ascent from Arizona newlyweds to political power couple on the national stage.

As heiress to her father's stake in Hensley & Co. of Phoenix, Cindy McCain is an executive whose worth may exceed $100 million. Her beer earnings have afforded the GOP presidential nominee a wealthy lifestyle with a private jet and vacation homes at his disposal, and her connections helped him launch his political career — even if the millions remain in her name alone. Yet the arm's-length distance between McCain and his wife's assets also has helped shield him from conflict-of-interest problems.

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Obama found a home in his church

CHICAGO (AP) — A young Barack Obama was searching for answers, and perhaps a place to belong, when he decided to visit a fast-growing church recommended by friends. What he heard left him in tears.

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright preached that day about suffering — about the seemingly endless problems of the world and of individuals. But he also talked about the importance of hope, the audacity of believing things can be made better.

"Hope is what saves us," Wright said.

That message moved Obama to embrace Trinity United Church of Christ, along with its philosophy of translating faith into action. But it's a side of Wright that has been overshadowed by his inflammatory remarks about everything from race relations to the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

The furor over Wright's remarks has provoked the greatest crisis for Obama's presidential campaign thus far, but Obama has refused to leave Trinity or sever his ties with Wright, saying there is much more to Wright and the church.

Asked Wednesday on MSNBC's "Hardball" if he thought the questions about his relationship with Wright were unfair, Obama said: "I think that's fair game in the sense that what my former pastor said was offensive. I think that in politics, whether I was white, black, Hispanic or Asian, somebody would be trying to use it against me. I do think that it is important to keep things in perspective."

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Clinton, Obama seek money in California

WASHINGTON (AP) — In back-to-back stops, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are returning to a popular financial wellhead, raising money in California to help finance a heavy stretch of spending in April.

Both Obama and Clinton are expected to report less money raised in March than they did in their banner fundraising performances in February. With their race for the Democratic nomination showing no signs of ending, tapping donors for more cash has new urgency.

Obama, expected to report raising between $30 million and $35 million in March, has scheduled fundraisers at the homes of four different financial backers Sunday afternoon and evening in northern California.

Clinton, with a March total expected at about $20 million, attended one fundraiser Wednesday in Silicon Valley, and had three planned Thursday — in San Francisco, Pasadena and Los Angeles.

Most of the events are for donors giving the $2,300 maximum allowed by law.

Obama raised a record $55 million in February; Clinton raised $34.5 million. Their March fundraising reports won't be filed with the government until April 20 and the campaigns declined to make their figures public; the totals cited are based on estimates from advisers.

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THE DEMOCRATS

Hillary Rodham Clinton attends a fundraiser in Beverly Hills, Calif. Barack Obama has no scheduled campaign events.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain gives a speech in Jacksonville, Fla.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"He sort of gets a little redder and redder and redder, but he wasn't off the deep end as I had seen him in the past. It was sort of like, 'Gee, I'm a martyr.' He seemed more hurt than anything." — Uncommitted California superdelegate Inola Henry describing former President Clinton as he complained about Gov. Bill Richardson's endorsement of his wife's rival.

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STAT OF THE DAY:

Sixty-eight percent of men backing Hillary Rodham Clinton are white, compared with 56 percent of men backing rival Barack Obama, according to figures from exit polls of voters in 27 Democratic primaries where both candidates competed. The figures exclude Florida, Michigan and all caucuses.

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Compiled by Ann Sanner and Jerry Estill.

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