Paris Hilton Ad Helped Internet Fundraising, McCain Campaign Manager Says

On a Friday morning conference call with reporters, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis revealed that the Republican nominee pulled in approximately $27 million in July.

But Davis also gave a hint that the August numbers -- which will be released next month -- should shape up well, too, in part because of the infamous Paris Hilton/Britney Spears "Celeb" ad that drew so much media attention last month after Barack Obama's world trip.

"It wasn't so much the trip itself [that drove fundraising], but the way we managed the trip in terms of our advertising campaign," Davis said. "Many of you all know the [Hilton] advertisement got more hits on YouTube than any other YouTube video," he adding, noting that that was a "first" for the McCain campaign. "We definitely saw an uptick in internet receipts" as the "Celeb" ad reached one million hits, Davis revealed.

The campaign manager noted that McCain has drawn 600,000 individual donors thus far in the campaign. Added to those who have donated to the RNC and other joint committees, Davis put the number at 1.5 million, a number still short of the over 2 million who have contributed to Barack Obama's fundraising totals.

Barack Obama's campaign has yet to announce its own July figures.

Davis was consistently upbeat about his campaign's financial situation, noting that "when we have this call next month, we'll be reporting no cash on hand left in our primary account." Since McCain will be taking $84 million in government money after the convention, he'll also have to spend all the money in his primary account by the end of August.

At the end of July, Davis reported that the campaign held $21.4 million in cash on hand. Combining that money with a predicted August take of over $20 million, which also must be spent before the convention, Davis hinted at a pretty healthy ad blitz through the rest of the month. He even bragged that they are outpacing Obama in key battleground states (despite the fact that Obama is up all over the country, and in many areas where McCain is dark) with a total expenditure of $60 million on ads since May.

Combined with RNC efforts, McCain expects to have over $100 million cash on hand in the first week of September, according to Davis. "We'll be fully flush to prosecute our campaign" through to election day, he said, adding that next week the RNC will report just under $26 million in fundraising for July, with over $75 million cash on hand.

Overall, Davis deemed it an "incredibly exciting" time for the campaign, in which they believe they have "consolidated the base" around McCain's candidacy at a level that's equal to the Democrats' base consolidation around Obama.

"I'd prefer to have as many Republicans as Democrats [in the electorate]," Davis admitted, adding: "But that's the gift we were given upon getting the nomination."

Comments

[Gabino]

Come on guys. McCain team is old fashioned when it comes to the internet. Go and take a peak at his site. It does not even compare to Obama's. McCain has said Cindy has to help him log in to the computer!! Pathetic.

If you just want to see how ancient he is his favorite song is "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. Please!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/08/barack-obama-re.html

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

Sounds like a smoke screen for where McCain's money is largely coming from. Lobbyists including foreign countries.


NYT reported McCain gave the Georgians encouragement to attack Russians shortly before the attack.

Senator John McCain, whose campaign foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann, had represented Georgia as a lobbyist, was the first to blast Russia. Mr. McCain, who already was the Republicans’ presumptive presidential nominee, telephoned Mr. Saakashvili to offer support, and then told reporters on April 17 that “we must not allow Russia to believe it has a free hand to engage in policies that undermine Georgian sovereignt­y.”

[lily31]

Sorry Mr Davis, I hate to tell you this but the reason there were so many hits on the Utube/Hilton ad is that 99% (my guess) were speechless and had to see it for themselves and ROTFLOL.

Guess you guys thought it was an uptick of interest in your candidate! LOL.

[Ajegunle]

MCCAIN'S SMEARS ALSO HELPED THE DNC AND OBAMA RAISE ALMOST 80 MILLION AS WELL.

THANKS MCBUSH.

[novowel4me]

Am I wrong? If McCain raises 27 million in July and credits the Hilton ad calling it a huge boost to his fundraising and Obama raises, what 50 something million in July it seems like the Hilton ad paid off almost 2 to 1 for Obama.

[QuicksilverKW]

A person is consistant in all they do. If he runs his campaign this way, he will run the country this way. Are the people who support him too blind to see this? What a person does tells you what kind of person he is. McCain scares me because lying and pretending he doesn't remember what he says and does is indicative of the kind of person tried to teach my children not to be. What kind of role model is he? He is NOT a good man - plain and simple. Lie and plead ignorance. Lie and say it was taken out of context. He is not capable of taking responsibility for what comes out of his mouth. Many times - with age comes wisdom. Not him. He is not - and will not be - capable. And when you add 4 more years of aging it's scary. America will be so sorry if for some reason he is elected - or voting machines are hacked again, and people will deny voting for him just like they do King George.

[Colmore]

What really hits home about this group is that nobody ever spouts off about McCain's many many years in DC, and his "accomplishments" He loves to talk about being a POW, but that was YEARS and YEARS ago. What has he done since then, apart from leaving his first wife and children??? Has he no record to brag about?

[Whinger]

Who cares about your comedy of errors?

We want to see you debate economics and fiscal policy with Obama on live television!

More likely you'll hide in the barrel you're scraping because you're not up to the job!

[TrishR]

I liked Paris Hilton's response video so much, I made my own:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSUuXsm-nJw

[freaktown]

"Many of you all know the [Hilton] advertisement got more hits on YouTube than any other YouTube video,"

Rick Davis is Lying. Again.

According to youtube, the most viewed video of all time is Avril lavigne music video "girlfrien­d." it has almost 97 MILLION views, far more than the "celeb"' ad's million...

The question is, how does Rick Davis and the mccain campaign keep getting away with such blatant lies as this?

[ElPerro]

Yep. There are a lot of stupid people in the world.

[Seattlelite]

Sen. O is a world celebrity. People actually like the guy, I'm confused, how is that a bad thing?

[moxieme]

Yeah, nothing like a call to arms to the bigots in this our nation. Isn't it ironic all the medis covergage and spin about the white supremists using BO's candidacy as a wake up call that they need to revitalize and "surge"? It seems PaCain has a a use for "celebrity" after all. If he would have used me in that manner I would have sued those $500-plus shoes right off his crinkly little feet. That's how the all the little imps schooled by the late Lee Atwater do it. They appeal to the worst in people whose preference this would be a nation without people of color...pe­riod!

[Colmore]

Or BRAINS! They are terrified of intelligent people. There seems to a noticeable void in that respect in McCain's staff.

[talkingclock]

You got that right.

[Gary47]

That's good old republicans for you. Feed them fear, greed, violence, insults and slime, and they are all over that puppy! Sign 'em up while they salivate. I can't wait they barely manage to be a nuisance.

[ReelBusy]

More McCain hypocrisy.
I've heard it before:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4-PqAXRIRU

Let's have some fun now:
The McCain-Nixon-Bush Tango
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyvJVy_7LYU