GOP Strategists Fret Over Dems' Fundraising Prowess
What most concerns senior Republican strategists as they assess the latest reports on presidential fundraising is the big collective advantage enjoyed by the Democratic candidates versus the Republicans. "It shows that the Democrats' enthusiasm at the grass roots is much more intense than ours," says a GOP insider who is a former adviser to President Ronald Reagan. "That's very worrisome."
The Democrats have raised nearly $80 million in the first quarter of this year, which ended on Saturday, compared with $51 million for the GOP hopefuls. Seen in terms of the front-runners, the picture isn't any better for the Republicans.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton reported collecting $26 million, Sen. Barack Obama $25 million, and John Edwards $14 million--for a grand total of $65 million for the Democratic leaders. By contrast, Mitt Romney raised $21 million, Rudy Giuliani $15 million, and John McCain $12.5 million--for a total of only $48.5 million.
All this is seen as further evidence that many GOP voters aren't as happy with their choices in the presidential race as the Democrats are and also that President George W. Bush's unpopularity is hurting the party's image and its candidates' ability to raise funds.
On the Democratic side, Obama's near parity with Clinton on fundraising has activists buzzing. But even more impressive, according to political professionals of both parties, is that Obama reported more than 100,000 individual contributors, including 50,000 donors on the Internet who gave him $6.9 million.
Clinton reported only 50,000 donors--total. It also appears that Clinton has emphasized large contributions more than Obama has, and many of Clinton's donors have already given the legal maximum for the 2008 cycle--$2,300 for the primaries and another $2,300 for the general election.
Obama, meanwhile, has focused on small donors, which means he can solicit them again and again in the coming months because they haven't maxed out. Result: The political pros say Clinton can no longer be considered the overwhelming favorite for the Democratic nomination. The next thing the pros will be looking for, when the details of the federal fundraising reports are released later this month, is how much cash the candidates have on hand and how much they already have spent.
It's thought that Clinton has expended a lot more than Obama has and may have less in the bank, which would be another blow to her image as the candidate to beat for the Democrats.
By Kenneth T. Walsh