UPDATE 1-Biden enters final stretch of campaign with big cash advantage over Trump

By Jason Lange and Grant Smith

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's campaign raised vastly more funds than U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign in early October, leaving the former vice president with a major cash advantage in the final stretch of the campaign.

Biden raised about $130 million during the Oct. 1-14 period, about three times the roughly $44 million raised by Trump's campaign, according to disclosures filed on Thursday with the Federal Election Commission.

Biden spent more than twice as much as Trump did during the period, with Biden's political ads now much more prevalent on American television.

With about two weeks to go before the Nov. 3 election, Biden had $162 million in the bank, compared to about $44 million in cash held by the Trump campaign.

Trump trails Biden in most national public opinion polls but the contest looks closer in a number of states that could determine the winner.

Biden's upper hand in the money race is no guarantee of victory. Trump triumphed in the 2016 election despite being outspent by Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington and Grant Smith in New York; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)