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Thousands of 2008 Donors Abandon Obama

President loses supporters in Northeast, West Coast

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 28, 2011 12:45 PM CDT

(Newser) – Tens of thousands of donors to Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign are sitting this one out—or giving money to the other side—and it’s costing the president millions of dollars, the AP finds. With the help of the Democratic Party, Obama’s campaign has plenty of cash on hand, and the president even has some new donors this cycle. But the departure of many supporters who gave $200 or more last time around suggests he’ll have to step up his game.

The AP compared the list of donors who handed the campaign between $200 and $2,500 from April to Sept. 2008 with the list of such donors over the same period in 2011. Ex-donors can be found across the country, particularly in the Northeast and West Coast. But the Obama campaign has cited a wealth of smaller donations this year, and a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds 4 out of 5 who voted for Obama in 2008 will likely do so in 2012. Meanwhile, Obama's raking in cash from bundlers.

Many of President Obama's 2008 donors haven't returned for this election. (Getty Images)

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Thousands of 2008 Donors Abandon Obama

President loses supporters in Northeast, West Coast

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Major Obama Donor Accused of Fraud

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