Obama Fundraising For 2012 Campaign, DNC Breaks Record
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama collected $86 million combined for his re-election campaign and the Democratic party during the past three months, giving him a large fundraising advantage over the Republican field seeking to challenge him in 2012.
Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said in a video posted early Wednesday that it raised more than $47 million and the Democratic National Committee brought in more than $38 million through the end of June, building a foundation for advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts in next year's election. Obama's team had set a public goal of $60 million combined.
As expected, the fundraising totals outpace Republicans, who have collectively raised about $35 million so far, although some candidates have yet to release their results. At the same time in 2007, 10 GOP presidential hopefuls had raised more than $118 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads the GOP field in fundraising, pulling in more than $18 million during the past three months. An independent fundraising group supporting Romney's presidential bid has raised $12 million this year.
Following Romney, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty collected $4.2 million and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman brought in $4.1 million, with about half coming from his personal wealth. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, a tea party favorite, has not yet released her fundraising totals.
Obama's advisers have told donors privately they hope to match or exceed the $750 million they raised in 2008, anticipating a stiff challenge from Republicans amid rocky economic conditions. Obama has acknowledged he will need to re-energize supporters who were inspired by his message of hope and change three years ago but may be discouraged by the economy and the pace of change.
"We have reason to be proud of what we've built so far but it's going to get tougher from here," Messina said in the video, estimating outside spending by GOP groups could exceed $500 million.
Messina said more than 550,000 people donated money to the campaign during the first three months, a large increase from about 180,000 donors to Obama during the first half of 2007. The campaign has actively courted small donors, hoping to show that the president is in a good position for the 2012 campaign and capable of generating broad financial support.
About 98 percent of the donors gave $250 or less. Messina said the average donation was about $69.
Obama broke his previous fundraising record of $33.1 million during the same quarter in 2007 and surpassed finance efforts by his predecessors. President George W. Bush launched his re-election bid in mid-May 2003 and raised $34.4 million through June 2003. In his first complete fundraising quarter, Bush raised another $50 million, bringing his total to nearly $85 million by the end of September 2003.
Obama's team had said it hoped to collect a combined $60 million for the campaign and the DNC for the three-month fundraising period that ended June 30. Obama opened his re-election campaign in early April and his advisers said the initial fundraising efforts were crucial to building a strong campaign.
Messina said the money is building the campaign's ground game more than a year before Election Day, saying the campaign has "more grassroots support at this point in the process than any campaign in political history." Obama's team has opened 60 field offices across the nation and held more than 31,000 face-to-face meetings with volunteers.
Campaign finance reports are due Friday, and Messina estimated the Obama campaign's report would exceed 15,000 pages.
Obama has held dozens of fundraisers for his campaign and the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising account set up by the DNC and Obama's campaign. At Victory Fund events, the first $5,000 of 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.
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WASHINGTON — In the nation's first-ever $3 trillion budget proposal, President Bush seeks to seal his legacy of promoting a strong defense to fight terrorism and tax cuts to spur the economy. Democrats, who control Congress, are pledging Read More... fierce opposition to Bush's final spending plan — perhaps even until the next president takes office.
The 2009 spending plan sent to Congress on Monday will project huge budget deficits, around $400 billion for this year and next and more than double the 2007 deficit of $163 billion. But even those estimates could prove too low given the rapidly weakening economy and the total costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which Bush does not include in his request for the budget year beginning Oct. 1
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22981657/ns/politics/t/bushs-proposed-trillion-budget-biggest/
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Loading comments… He's got my vote in 2012. Only Obama has the courage to stand up to these infantile Tea Party candidates who fill the airwaves with "populist" nonsense.
Around the world, Obama is admired as a strong leader of a great country.
Democrats have been in control since 2006, that is five years.
What mess? Can you list them?
O's predecessors ran up some big bills and obligations we are still paying for in a declining economy. And the mess in the Middle East hasn't been cheap.
I repeat:
"...he is doing a great job.
He's got my vote in 2012. Only Obama has the courage to stand up to these infantile Tea Party candidates who fill the airwaves with "populist" nonsense.
Around the world, Obama is admired as a strong leader of a great country.”
But the other world leaders see America's inherent strength and greatness in him.
Once again, we have a leader worthy of our stature.
Obama 2012.
A credit rating soon to sink
Obama treats the Presidency as a part time gig
Still smarting from the trillion shovels that do not dig
His real job he seems to devote most of his time
To raise the election dollars, quarters and dimes
This man is wizard when it comes to raising a campaign war chest
Any doubts look a 85 million without a day off or time to rest
A modern day Nero without a fiddle to play
Hard on the Reds but donors a master sway
For him the Oval office must have an 8 year magnetic luster
An idea to reduce the deficit that may not pass Constituional muster
Give him the football and let him for his election raise money full time
In return for each quarter raised to reduce the deficit one dime
I don't know about you but the thought of a Republican President is down right scary! We need to put this man back in office to let his agenda take root. We gave Bush 8 years to turn a Surplus into a recession, We need to give the man who has to clean what Bush destroyed time to fix this mess.
Don't even pay them any attention. Just mobilize and keep moving. You need talking points? Click the links below. Thank you!
www.barackobama.com
http://obamaachievements.org/list
Really, a fundraising event for Obama and the DNC sponsored by Pfizer at their corporate HQ? Do they give away free kneepads at the door?
First Posted: 07/13/11 09:20 AM ET Updated: 09/12/11 06:12 AM ET