Obama Rakes It In

Small Donors Didn't Drive His Campaign: Study

New York Times  |  Nov 24, 08 9:12 PM CST

(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 »

Munificent Obama Empties Coffers on Staff

New York Daily News  |  Nov 14, 08 3:18 PM CST

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s campaign is redistributing the wealth to the staff, the New York Daily News reports. The loaded campaign will give its troops a bonus equivalent to a month’s pay and allow employees to keep campaign-issued phones and computers, provided they pay the taxes. “It's a very nice gesture for people who slaved away and sacrificed for the past year,” one said. More »

Infomercial Smartly Put Feelings Before Facts

Washington Post  |  Oct 30, 08 6:27 AM CDT

(Newser) - Barack Obama made few concrete proposals in his multi-million-dollar TV spot last night, but the infomercial wasn't about policy, writes Tom Shales; it was about "sensibility." For the Washington Post columnist, Obama's long-form advertisement succeeded as a soft-focus, optimistic simulation "of how it would feel to live in an America with Barack Obama in the White House." More »

Obama Donors Get to Hang With the Big Kids

Politico  |  Oct 29, 08 2:18 PM CDT

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s money machine has kept rolling thanks, in part, to a series of intimate fundraisers headlined by his top advisers, Politico reports. In exchange for a mere $28,500, Obama supporters could snag seats at a dinner with Warren Buffett or a “Round Table Discussion” with Robert Rubin. Slimmer wallets could attend a reception with John Kerry for as low as $250. More »

Will They Still Love Him When He's Prez?

Newsweek  |  Oct 26, 08 4:58 PM CDT

(Newser) - What will happen to Barack Obama’s fan base if he wins? The devoted followers, who wield unusual power in the campaign and feel close to their candidate, won’t vanish after November and could be a powerful weapon for his agenda, Howard Fineman writes in Newsweek . But if Obama governs more conservatively than they like, they may turn their power against him. More »

Small Print Lets Donors Write Big Checks

New York Times  |  Oct 21, 08 12:38 PM CDT

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s small donors have grabbed the headlines this election, but the latest campaign finance reports reveal that big donors have been playing their biggest role in ages, the New York Times reports. Both candidates have used joint committees, which raise money for both the candidates and their parties, to subvert the $2,300 individual donation limit, allowing donors to give tens of thousands with one check. More »

Obama Shatters Records With $150M Sept.

Wall Street Journal  |  Oct 19, 08 8:49 AM CDT

(Newser) - Barack Obama scored $150 million in September, he said today, a monthly record that brings his fundraising total to another record topping $600 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. The previous monthly record was Obama’s $66 million in August. Those figures give the Democrat a big leg up in TV advertising in battleground and typically red states. More »

Obama Ad Blitz Stifles McCain

Politico  |  Oct 15, 08 1:51 PM CDT

(Newser) - Over the past three weeks, Northern Virginia TV viewers have seen 1,342 commercials from Barack Obama … and eight from John McCain. Obama is dominating the airwaves, Politico reports, outspending McCain and the Republican National Committee as much as 8-1 in some markets, blunting GOP attacks with a sustained presence. “McCain is virtually invisible in the commercial breaks,” said one station executive. More »

Both Campaigns Walk the Plank

Chicago Sun-Times  |  Oct 12, 08 12:42 PM CDT

(Newser) - Beware, trick or treaters: John McCain and Barack Obama may be hiding behind that bandanna and eyepatch. Asked about their favorite childhood Halloween costumes in separate interviews for Nickelodeon, both candidates answered "pirate," the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Obama called his getup "the best costume of all time." McCain joked that he'd like to "put my costume on and take my sword out" and get some fellow Senators back in line. More »

Obama Got $40K From Fake People

New York Times  |  Oct 10, 08 10:00 AM CDT

(Newser) - Barack Obama received some $40,000 from obviously fictitious donors, the New York Times reports. After poring over both candidates’ records, the Times found some 3,000 donations to Obama from more than a dozen people with obviously falsified names —like “Test Person” from “Some Place, UT.” McCain had such donors as well, but far fewer than Obama. More »

Hillary Raises Big Money for Obama

USA Today  |  Oct 6, 08 1:15 PM CDT

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton has raised more than $8 million since July for Barack Obama, USA Today reports, and has hit 40 Obama campaign events in the past 2 months. She’ll headline two more Obama fundraisers this month, plus 11 events for other Democratic candidates. But while she’s raising money for others, her own campaign still owes $9 million to various vendors. More »

Campaign Skirts Obama Lobbyist Ban

Portfolio  |  Sep 18, 08 3:18 PM CDT

(Newser) - Barack Obama has built his campaign on being a Washington outsider, and won’t accept contributions from registered federal lobbyists. But Obama’s candidacy is far from untouched by special-interest cash, Matthew Cooper writes in Portfolio . The wives of more than 20 Washington lobbyists have donated to the Democrat, who also accepts contributions from state lobbyists, partners of law firms that lobby in Washington, and CEOs. More »

Star-Studded Wallets Come Out for Obama Fundraiser

Los Angeles Times  |  Sep 17, 08 8:29 AM CDT

(Newser) - Barack Obama pulled down $11 million between two star-studded Hollywood fundraisers last night, in the biggest single-night take of his campaign, reports the Los Angeles Times. The candidate mixed it up with the likes of Steven Spielberg, Chris Rock, and Barbra Streisand —who capped off the night with a performance —as John McCain took the opportunity to mock the celebrity shindig before a working-class Ohio crowd. More »

Barbra Hosts Obama Fundraiser

Time  |  Sep 16, 08 10:27 AM CDT

(Newser) - Barack Obama is expected to bring in a huge haul tonight at an LA fundraiser hosted by Barbra Streisand, Time reports. The event involves “a reception and dinner at $28,500 a person followed by a later event featuring Streisand at $2,500 a ticket.” The reclusive singer had been a Hillary Clinton backer, but has now lined up behind Obama. More »

Obama Won't Share Funds With Senate Dems

Politico  |  Sep 16, 08 10:06 AM CDT

(Newser) - Barack Obama has rejected an appeal from the Senate Democrats to kick some campaign money their way, Politico reports. Obama raised a record $66 million in August, but is currently outmatched by the combination of John McCain and the Republican National Committee. With 23 GOP-held seats being contested, Senate Dems had looked to Obama to help finance a rare opportunity to boost their majority. More »

GOP Has Twice as Much Cash as Dems

Bloomberg  |  Sep 16, 08 8:51 AM CDT

(Newser) - Coming into the home stretch, the Republicans have about twice as much campaign money on hand as the Democrats, reports Bloomberg—about $200 million to $95 million. Though Barack Obama has raised record sums, the Democratic National Committee’s current $17.5 million lags far behind the GOP’s $76 million. These committees may continue to raise and spend money to support their candidates, so long as they don’t coordinate strategy. More »

Despite $66M August, Obama Needs Money