Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama speaking at a recent town hall meeting in Lancaster, Pa. (Photo by Dan Gleiter)

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The crowd of 2,000 was on its feet and roaring with approval as Democratic Sen. Barack Obama railed against special interests and lobbyists who have blocked health care and energy reforms.

"We can't just change political parties in the White House and think that things are going to change here in Harrisburg," Obama said during a recent presidential campaign stop. "We've got to change how politics is done in Washington."

Obama told the crowd that's why he doesn't accept contributions from political action committees or lobbyists.

"They're not funding my campaign. They won't run my White House," he said.

However, campaign finance records show that Obama has received tens of thousands of dollars from people in many of the same groups and industries he regularly rails against.

"He may not take money from (political action committees) or lobbyists, but he is taking interest money," said Sheila Krumholtz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign finance issues.

"He's getting a lot of money from individuals representing lawyers and law firms, security firms, real estate and Hollywood," Krumholtz said. "You can't say that he doesn't take special-interest money."

State lobbyists and non-wage-earning spouses of lobbyists and lobbying firm employees have contributed $115,163 to Obama's campaign through March 20, according to the center.

People in the oil and gas industries have given $222,309 to Obama. He received $528,765 from the pharmaceutical and health industry, making him the largest recipient of the sector's largesse.

Obama's Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, has raised $309,363 from the oil and gas industry and $506,001 from the health care and pharmaceutical industry.

Her campaign received $865,290, the most of any candidate, from lobbyists.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., an Obama supporter, acknowledged that Obama's campaign has taken contributions from state lobbyists and people in business sectors.

"Sure, sure he has. But I think when you line up the way he's raised money with the way most presidential candidates in both parties have for a generation, there's no comparison," Casey said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

On that program, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Clinton backer, said it's "a little disingenuous to say, 'I don't take money from special interests.'"

Rendell pointed out that Obama's campaign has received large bundled contributions from nuclear power, utility and oil company executives.

"They've both taken money from people connected to industries and organizations," Rendell said.

But Obama spokeswoman Debbie Mesloh said there's a distinction.

"The main thing is that Sen. Obama has been consistent," she said. "He's said, 'I don't take money from PACs or federally registered lobbyists.'"

Clinton's campaign on Wednesday unveiled a radio ad responding to an Obama television commercial in which the Illinois senator says, "I don't take money from oil companies or Washington lobbyists."

"There's a very simple reason" why Obama doesn't take contributions from oil companies, said state Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney, a Clinton supporter. "It's illegal to take money from oil companies."

FactCheck.org, run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, calls Obama's ad technically true but misleading.

"It's true that Obama doesn't take money directly from oil companies, but then, no presidential, House or Senate candidate does," Fact Check.org said. "They can't."

(Brett Lieberman can be contacted at blieberman(at)patriot-news.com.)