We live in an age when, in most cases, a candidate must pander to giant corporations and lobbyists to successfully attain public office.

For years, this has been a necessary evil in the political world. Perhaps this is why it was so encouraging when Democratic presidential hopeful Barrack Obama announced his campaign finance reports last week.

Obama’s camp announced that the freshman senator from Illinois has received $25 million in donations from 100,000 individuals – and here’s the surprise – he’s done it without any gifts from lobbyists.

Hillary Clinton still leads the cash race with $26 million, but her figure includes $10 million left over from her successful New York senate re-election last year.

Also, the former first lady’s total comes from just 50,000 donors, proving Obama’s claim that his “grass-roots” campaign is more than just a buzz word.

This sort of campaign is nothing new for Obama, who, according to opensecrets.org, received almost 91 percent of donations for his 2004 senate bid from individuals and not big businesses.

Obama’s campaign figures should be encouraging for those from all political schools of thought. These figures prove that, at least in the early stages of a campaign, candidates can run on a platform of representing all Americans, and not just those with corporate titles and lucrative stock holdings.

A candidate receives money from lobbyists under the pretense that the money will be used to further the cause of the lobbyists, which is often contrary to the best interests of the nation and the world.

The fact that Obama has received money from twice as many donors as his best competitor in the Democratic Party shows that there are many regular people who feel that supporting his run with their own resources is money well spent.