Obama, Democrats Set $60 Million Fundraising Goal For June

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's key fundraisers are being asked to raise $60 million for the president's re-election campaign and the Democratic Party by the end of June.

Two people familiar with the fundraising goal said it was part of a presentation in Chicago on Wednesday to top Democratic fundraisers. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the private meeting publicly.

Obama raised $750 million in 2008 and his advisers have privately told donors that they hope to match the amount or exceed it. Some estimates say the 2012 re-election campaign could pull in $1 billion.

A major donor involved in the re-election campaign's fundraising said most of the $60 million had already been raised. The donor spoke on condition of anonymity because that person was not authorized to speak publicly.

Obama is expected to headline fundraisers in Miami, Washington, D.C., New York and Philadelphia before the end of the fundraising quarter on June 30, people familiar with the events said. First lady Michele Obama is expected to hold fundraisers in California in June, they said.

Obama launched his re-election campaign in April and has headlined several fundraisers around the country, with some of the proceeds divided between the Democratic National Committee and his re-election campaign.

In April, the DNC collected $12.4 million, with about $7 million going to the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising account by the DNC and Obama's campaign. At Victory Fund events, the first $5,000 on a donor's contribution goes to the presidential campaign and the remainder goes to the DNC, up to a maximum of $30,800 a year.

The campaign is also focusing on low-dollar fundraising. Obama campaign manager Jim Messina told supporters Wednesday that the campaign's "most committed supporters" would match contributions by first-time donors of $5 or more. He said the small donations would be "an explicit rejection of the money-for-influence game that paralyzes our politics."

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Associated Press writer Beth Fouhy in New York contributed to this report.

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Comments

[candycorn]

10:56 PM on 06/05/2011

Boener can't even help his own state {Ohio} that is suffering. All I see Boener doing is crying.

[aroundchicago]

10:55 PM on 06/05/2011

The campaign money is getting way out of hand on both sides of the aisle. I know the President needs to get re elected but $30,000 a plate dinners and such are way over the top. He may talk like he's representing the common voter, but big big money rules the day. Look no further than Wall Street. It's no different now than when Bush was in office.

[candycorn]

10:52 PM on 06/05/2011

Just wrote my check..calling friends and family to do the same. This will be my first time voting democrat because I do not want the republicans taking my social security and medicare money that I have paid in the system for 50 years. My family has turned democrat. Vote your pocket book seniors. Democrats in 2012

[brokerallen]

01:58 AM on 06/06/2011

I voted Democrat the first time in 2008. I finally realized the GOP didn't care about the average person and while both parties have leaders who are both pro-life and pro-choice being excluded from medical care often leads to death. That's murder too.

[willbgone]

06:46 AM on 06/06/2011

You DO realize that Harry Reid had the healthcare plan that limited access to services based on age right? The plan supported by the DEMOCRATS.

[Karma2U]

02:40 PM on 06/05/2011

Where do we send our checks?

[askandtell]

09:17 PM on 06/05/2011

Send a check to: Obama for America, P.O. Box 802798, Chicago, IL 60680

www.barackobama.com/

Just made my donation in support.

[willbgone]

06:47 AM on 06/06/2011

To the "National Society that gives out free stuff in order to gain support, otherwise people would never be our friends"

[dmessy]

07:51 PM on 06/02/2011

who needs to raise that kind of money when he'll just tell Geitner to print it.

[rg27603]

03:38 PM on 06/02/2011

Why aren't thes clowns trying to create jobs or deal with the massive debt? Instead they are out raising money for his campaign?

[axt113]

02:32 PM on 06/03/2011

Because you can't do both, you can't create strong growth coming out of a recession while trying to close a deficit, its economically impossible.

The Math doesn't work that way, see GDP is a function of consumption, government spending, investment and net exports.

Coming out of a recession where demand is still low, any cut to government spending will result in reduced growth of GDP.

Right now the position of balancing the budget and reducing government spending is a path of low economic growth.

[brokerallen]

02:14 AM on 06/06/2011

Finally, someone with an understanding of economics.

[TheOneIndependent]

03:27 PM on 06/02/2011

I realize that mucho denaro is needed for election Campaigns these days to compete with the corporate contributions and I would applaud campaign reform but what would really be something to see would be to have someone campaigning achieve the 1T mark and donate it to the deficiet or create jobs or something useful. In my mind a person looking to win an election could do nothing better than that to show who they really are to the American people.
Now, I cant stand Sarah Palin but what would her numbers be if instead of taking in all the cash she can to perpetuate her BS, she donate it to a needy cause? Just saying.

[GeorgeP922]

03:25 PM on 06/02/2011

As a past donor and fundraiser, I am over waiting for progressive policy that is resounding.
Im not terribly dissapointed, but we missed some opportunities to shake things up.

Obama needs to do three things to get my donation:

A- attack republians AND campaign against them. That includes all the crucial senate races, all congressmen who voted to kill medicare, and the Wisoconsin republicans up for recall.
Thats alot of people and it is dooable.

B- shows some courage and recess appoints Elizabeth Warren.
Bush got the unbearable mustached Michael Bolton, and history has not judged Bush for that at all. Bolton was for war, Warren is for a good economy, not to hard to figure that out.

C-Obama STANDS UP to the wall street and oil company loving goons who say they are Democrats, to include Landrieu, Warner and Durbin and Nelson.

[dmessy]

07:50 PM on 06/02/2011

So basically you want to someone who will

(a) spend to the extent that you will likely never get medicare or that it will need to be limited
(b) put someone into a job where the government will take away your rights as a consumer and treat you like a child
(c) fight to send jobs overseas because the costs of doing jobs here will be too expensive

Smart move on your part.

[StJames]

08:27 PM on 06/02/2011

No I think he means his money might be better spent donating to progressive senate and house candidates....I can tell you now I've already received several emails reminding me that I haven't as yet donated to his campaign, I am waiting to see how the debt ceiling battle turns out.

[StJames]

08:21 PM on 06/02/2011

Fanned!

[applesNpears]

02:39 PM on 06/02/2011

Aww look at huffpost/alo/koch3Mcorp raising expectations in order to handwring if dems do not raise that amount next month. MSM remains irl chrolling on behalf of the GOP. *sigh*

[hrpmap]

01:49 PM on 06/02/2011

And he'll get it after all he has an inside track to the money mill. His treasury secretary from the NY fed will be an asset here big time.

[The Big John]

01:05 PM on 06/02/2011

Obama did bail out wall street, so why wouldn't he get 1,000,000,000, for the 2012 election.

[stopthemadness69]

03:28 PM on 06/02/2011

Wow that was aweful nice of bush to let obama sign legislation before we even had the election. Maybe it was mccain not obama?

[johnnygoodwud]

12:16 PM on 06/02/2011

actions speak louder than words. no action, no $$$ from me, and i donated heavily last time.

[KIVPossum]

11:34 AM on 06/02/2011

With the field of potential republican candidates, Obama should be able to run a successful campaign for 12.87

[willbgone]

06:53 AM on 06/06/2011

Obama = Carter. All I have to say.

[rbdacc]

11:34 AM on 06/02/2011

ACLU website boasts- they and the SEIU, confirm donation of 100 MILLION to Obama's Campaign -100mill in union dues will be donated. The Plantiff Bar (the party that derailed Obamacare tort reform) AGAIN promises large sum for each employee is donating $2000.00. Note: it's against the law for companies to force employees to personnall­­y donate. In the last election even the LOWEST paid working for a firm affiliated w/the Plaintiff Bar personnall­­y donated $2000.00, C­­urious that s-o-o many at all salary levels donated the same. SOROS contributi­­ng? He isn't too happy with Obama. The 2 billion he filtered last time thru ACORN, ACT, Progressiv­­e Group, Real Networks, Mackay Family Foundation, Center for American Progress, (he tried the Green Party but failed when Gore realized that 40% of Dem Union members own guns-Soros was trying to take down the NRA) AFSCME; the American Federation of Teachers; the Associatio­­n of Trial Lawyers of America; Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund; EMILY's List; the Human Rights Campaign; League of Conservati­­on Voters; NAACP; NARAL Pro-Choice America; NatEdAssoc­­iation; People for the American Way; Planned Parenthood­­; OSI, Pew Charitable Trust, and Sierra Club, MAY NOT BE FILTERED AGAIN. These, the Shadow Party, work w/Soros - the reason I left the Dem Party, 1/3 the reason I couldn't vote for Obama.The other 2/3? 1/3 lack of experience

[knappm70]

12:23 PM on 06/02/2011

Great Post, but it goes right through the gray matter of the toolbaggers, (progresives)

[jl4141]

12:34 PM on 06/02/2011

tl; dr.

[iceage7]

11:27 AM on 06/02/2011

ohh..The trolls on here running scared

[dmessy]

07:53 PM on 06/02/2011

whose scared -- I have no doubt Obama can raise a lot of money. But it won't matter -- there won't be any jobs and the cost of living will continue to increase. Inflation will kill any savings people have left. There is simply no rational reason to vote for him.