Anyone who stays current on the 2008 Presidential Race or actually reads this blog, knows that Illinois Senator, and my completely biased favorite for the Democratic nomination in 2008, Barack Obama sent shock waves inside the beltway when he announced that he had raised $25 million in the first quarter of this year. Ensuring that he will be sticking around for the long haul, in the marathon to the White House.
What is the most surprising is that he has managed to do this without accepting any donations from lobbyists, in an attempt to claim the moral high ground on the issue of campaign finance reform.
In a recent Washington Post article, the other half of his fundraising arsenal are now being exposed. Obama did receive over 100,000 separate donations, with roughly half coming from online donors in denominations of less than $100. Hillary Clinton, the current leader for the Democratic nomination received less than that in total donors, while raising her $26 million for the months of January through March.
Not only is Obama running laps around Clinton in the number of sheer donations, indicating very strong support at the grassroots level, but he has also taken away some of the former First Lady's most notable donors. Most remember the brouhaha that started after music mogul David Geffen publicly slammed Clinton while defecting to Obama's camp, but he has also come under the good graces and deep pockets of Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and mega-famous director Steven Spielberg.
Now this may not mean all that much in the long run as to who will eventually be sitting in that big leather chair in the Oval Office. But doesn't it make Obama look that much cooler?
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