PrintOctober 16, 2007
Democrats Continue to Outraise Republicans
The most recent batch of FEC filings by the Presidential candidates shows that Democrats are outraising their GOP rivals by more than 2-1.
The leading Democratic presidential candidates raised twice as much money as their Republican counterparts this summer, according to campaign finance reports filed yesterday, and several major candidates spent more money than they raised.Why the big advantage?
The reports vividly illustrated the fund-raising advantage Democrats have enjoyed so far this year as they try to recapture the White House after seven years of Republican control.
The Democrats were led by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who reported raising $23.7 million this summer for the primaries and whose campaign said it had about $35 million left for the primaries. Mrs. Clinton was left with more primary money in the bank than her nearest rival, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, for the first time. Mr. Obama reported raising more than $20 million over the summer for the primaries and having $32 million left for the primaries.
The leading Republican candidates, by comparison, raised much less and were left with much less for their primaries.
Most big donors aren't stupid. And most of them aren't ideologically committed to either party although there are whales who can be counted on by both Republicans and Democrats to raise money for their respective parties.
There is a broad consensus among pollsters and political pros that 2008 is going to be a big Democratic year and everyone wants to get on the bandwagon. Couple that with Hillary Clinton's contacts from her husband's many years of fundraising - including tapping the mother lode of political money in Hollywood - and you have a built in advantage for the Democrats in raising cash for campaigns.
Both Giuliani and Romney are on a pace to raise more money than George Bush did in 2004. But that won't do them much good as Hillary Clinton appears to be on her way to raising more money than anyone ever thought possible - $75 million so far with some analysts believing she will be able to raise close to $150 million before it's all over.
This is a decided advantage although where it might do the most good is in "get out the vote" efforts in swing states. One thing is certain, Clinton is setting a new standard for the amount of money that can be raised. And the fact that she will have those donors in a database will only enhance her stature in the party for years to come.
