CAMPAIGN NEWS: Dems Trounce GOP In Campaign Cash
Monday, July 16, 2007
usnews.com
The presidential campaign finance filings for the 2nd quarter are in, and one thing is abundantly clear: the Democrats are, as a whole, vastly outraising their GOP counterparts. Under the headline "Democrats Continue To Beat Republicans At The Donor Box," the New York Times reports the "eight Democrats running for president raised more than $80 million from April 1 to June 30, while the 10 Republicans raised less than $50 million."
Among Democrats, Sen. Barack Obama raised $32.8 million, Sen. Hillary Clinton $27 million, John Edwards $8.9 million, Gov. Bill Richardson $7 million, Sen. Christopher Dodd $3.25 million, Sen. Joseph Biden $2.3 million, and Rep. Dennis Kucinich $757,000. On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani raised $17.3 million, Mitt Romney $13.7 million, Sen. John McCain $11.2 million, Rep. Ron Paul $2.4 million, Sen. Sam Brownback $1.4 million, Mike Huckabee $763,000, Tommy Thompson $445,000, and Jim Gilmore (who quit the race Saturday) $182,000.
In terms of cash on hand that can be used for the primaries, Obama leads the Democrats with $34.5 million, followed by Clinton $32.7 million, Edwards $12.1 million, Richardson $7 million, Dodd $5 million, and Biden $1.8 million. On the GOP side, Giuliani has $14.6 million, Romney $12.1 million, McCain $3.2 million, Paul $2.3 million, Brownback $460,000, Huckabee $437,000, and Tommy Thompson $122,000.
Still, despite all the attention being paid to the cash primary, the Wall Street Journal cautions, "While money is a measure of organization and early appeal, it is hardly predictive of how nomination contests will turn out."
One thing that is drawing a fair bit of attention in the fundraising race is Barack Obama's ability to appeal to small donors. The Washington Post has a feature on how small donors are boosting Obama by giving him "an unusually large fundraising base. The 258,000 donors who have given to his campaign this year are more than the combined total who have given to" Giuliani, McCain, and Romney. Obama said his "fundraising effort is 'the largest grass-roots campaign in history for this stage of a presidential race,'" and Jerome Armstrong, "an Internet adviser for Howard Dean's insurgent campaign four years ago, didn't dispute that." The Los Angeles Times says $9.7 million of Obama's second quarter fundraising came in contributions of less than $200 each -- "a number that is unusually high and a surprise to campaign finance experts."
Gilmore Quietly Exits Race
The Washington Post reports former Virginia governor and Republican National Committee chairman James Gilmore "ended his long-shot Republican presidential campaign yesterday, saying he was unable to raise enough money to communicate his conservative vision to Americans." The AP adds that Gilmore "barely registered in the polls and his latest financial disclosure report showed him with about $90,000 in cash on hand."
Radio Iowa reported on its website that "Gilmore's most notable contribution to the contest was the phrase: 'Rudy McRomney.' Gilmore uttered it in Des Moines this spring to criticize the three leading candidates -- Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney -- all of whom Gilmore alleged were not conservative enough to be the GOP's standard-bearer in 2008."
This doesn't mean that Gilmore's political career is over, however. The Politico says Gilmore "said he has been approached about running for Virginia governor a second time, and about running for U.S. Senate" if Sen. John Warner retires. He said he "will consider both options."...
POLITICAL HUMOR
The Latest From Late Night Comedians
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Jay Leno: "According to the current issue of 'Sports Illustrated,' Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has become a golf nut. She's pretty good, too. The only sand trap she can't get out of: Iraq."
Jay Leno: "According to 'USA Today,' more and more churches are taking in illegal aliens and shielding them from deportation. In a related story, more and more churches also report they are saving a fortune in housekeeping and gardening expenses."
Jimmy Kimmel: "President Bush held a press conference yesterday to discuss the latest report out of Iraq. He says there's plenty of reason for optimism. Although, I'm starting to feel he doesn't know what that word means." |
