March 13 (Bloomberg) -- John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic U.S. presidential nominee, has raised $10 million from donations made on the Internet since he won nine of 10 primary contests on March 2, his campaign said.

The total is more than the $8 million Kerry raised from all donors in February, when he still faced primary challenges from other Democrats. Kerry pledged after the March 2 ``Super Tuesday'' primaries to raise $80 million by the Democratic National Convention, which begins July 26 in Boston.

The senator from Massachusetts is trying to keep pace with President George W. Bush, who has raised at least $160 million toward his goal of getting a record $170 million in donations. Kerry's fund-raising has accelerated since the March 3 withdrawal of his last main competitor for the party's nomination, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.

``The pace of our Internet fundraising is encouraging,'' spokesman David Wade said in an interview in Boston while traveling with Kerry. ``Democrats will always be financial underdogs against George Bush, but our base is energized.''

Total giving is ``heavily, heavily Internet'' Wade said. He didn't have a percentage of how much money came from other sources.

Bush has raised at least $6.6 million this month at eight formal fund-raising events, according to campaign announcements. That number doesn't include donations from direct mail solicitations or from the Internet.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Forsythe in Washington mforsythe@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 13, 2004 11:54 EST