Obama Rakes in $52M in June

(NEWSER) - The little guy didn't fill Barack Obama's campaign coffers after all, a new non-partisan study says. True, almost 50% of his donations were $200 or less, but many of those donors gave again. Only about a quarter of them stopped at two C-notes, a figure in the same range as donations to John McCain. About 80% of Obama's money came from people who gave more than $1,000, the New York Times reports. More»

Half of record January millions were donations under $200

(NEWSER) - After hauling in an epic $32 million in contributions in January, Barack Obama is expecting a near record-busting $30 million in donations this month. Even more striking, the candidate for change seems to raise most of his money in just that—change. Half of January's yield came in online contributions of $200 or less, many as little as $5 to $10, Politico reports. More»

He's not the candidate of 'Hope and Change' argue Republicans

(NEWSER) - Hope and Change? Try "Hype and Blame." That's the message from the RNC, which unveiled its not-quite-rhyming variation on President Obama's 2008 slogan today. Going forward, both the RNC and the Romney campaign will start using the slogan (and selling $10 bumper stickers emblazoned with it), which references what they say is three-plus years of broken promises, reports CNN . "Four years later, we know the candidate of Hope and Change is now Hype and Blame," says the RNC's press secretary. (Romney apparently isn't too wowed by Obama's new slogan, either.) More»

Donations from family of Mexican casino boss Pepe Cardona

(NEWSER) - The Obama campaign has decided to return more than $200,000 worth of donations linked to Juan Jose Rojas Cardona, aka Pepe, a Mexican casino magnate who jumped bail in Iowa in 1994 to avoid drug and fraud charges, and has since come under suspicion of assassinating a business rival and making illegal campaign donations in Mexico. The donations were bundled by Cardona's brothers, Carlos Rojas Cardona and Alberto Rojas Cardona, both Americans. The New York Times confronted the Obama campaign about them yesterday. More»

And, simultaneously, not-so-rich ones

(NEWSER) - President Obama's 2012 machine is revving up early, and his campaign is using all its assets to pull in wealthy donors—while also courting the small Internet donors that fueled his grass-roots machine in 2008. The Washington Post takes a long look at the fundraising push, which has included everything from cocktail parties to one-on-ones with Valerie Jarrett to $44 bar get-togethers, depending on what group of donors is being pursued. And the campaign team isn't done yet: Future fundraisers will be even more creative, like the food tasting with the White House chef that's in the works. More»