by Mark Silva
Sen. Hillary Clinton's Pennsylvania victory has been good for business, the campaign says: Claiming it is on track to raising $10 million online in the 24 hours following the declaration of her win.
This would represent the campaign's best fundraising day ever, the campaign notes -- about half what she reported raising in the entire month of March, and about equal to the amount of debt her campaign was reporting at that juncture.
That 24 hour fund-raising record would depend, we suppose, on what the meaning of 24 hours is.
It starts to lapse around 8:45 pm EDT this evening -- the time that the first television news network, Fox, called the Pennsylvania race for Clinton. Among the 60,000 online donors which the campaign claimed clocking as of noon today, 50,000 were reported to be new donors. Should it continue at any pace close to that, the good people of Indiana will be watching a lot of commercials.
Clinton's "game-changing victory last night has turned the tide and resulted in an historic outpouring of grassroots support," campaign Chairman Terry McAuliffe said in a statement released this afternoon. "Just like Hillary, our supporters have met every challenge and come through each time. Thanks to them, we will have the resources needed to compete and win as we move ahead to the next contests."
Or to pay their debts.
Clinton's latest campaign finance report showed that her campaign was in debt to vendors to the tune of $10.3 million at the end of March, yet had $8 million on hand to spend, while Sen. Barack Obama had raised $40 million and had $42 million on hand.
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Comments
Oh my God Hillary, you broke a record. Go girl!
Posted by: brigitte | April 23, 2008 4:48 PM
Whatever... 24hourish for 10 million dollars is just as good as exactly 24hours for me! Wow. I think this means people are no longer afraid to bet on Hillary. She might be the winning horse yet.
Posted by: SoniaB | April 23, 2008 5:33 PM
100s of thousands of average Americans are voting right now by sending money to Senator Obama in donations of 200 dollars are less and they are all not just Democrats nor Republicans. Let's look at the Federal Election Commission data.
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/donordems.asp?filter=A&sortby=S
Senator Clinton's campaign for example is 75% funded by donations of 2,300 or 4,600 dollars.
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/donordems.asp?filter=A&sortby=X
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/donordems.asp?filter=A&sortby=P
Senator Clinton and Senator McCain are primarily being funded by wealthy individuals and special interest groups (lobbyist). Here is a graph that shows individual contributions from people who work for lobbyist or as lobbyist.
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp?cycle=2008
It takes a lot of small donations of 200 dollars or less to raise two and three times the money the other candidates are receiving for their campaigns. If how a campaign is run is any indication of how the candidate will run the country the chose is fairly clear. Both Senator McCain's and Senator Clinton's campaigns have periodically gone broke and in to debt having to borrow money to stay afloat.
The politics of fear are dead, some simply do not realize it yet.
My only fear is what the candidates will do for the people who financed their campaign once they take office.
Senator Clinton "won" PA however it has done little to dent Senator Obama's lead. The next two contests will be either close or she will lose significantly, there is simply not enough road left for her to get to the nomination.
One of two things will happen in my opinion.
1) Senator Clinton will lose the next two contests run out of money (and the ability to borrow money) and be forced to concede.
2) Senator Clinton somehow continues to hang in there until the convention and cause a "brokered" convention (Al Gore?).
Senator Clinton should have dropped out gracefully a long time ago. Essentially what she is say is "If I can't get the nomination neither will Senator Obama".
As for McCain, once the spot light hits him he will become unelectable in my opinion (Hagee and the others, savings and loan scandal, new scandals regarding favoritism, campaign exposed as financed mostly by lobbyist, gaffs on the economy and war, etc.).
Posted by: Deward Bowles | April 23, 2008 5:34 PM
Those must be McCain supporters! Unless she's working to run against McCain in 2012, her presence in the race serves no purpose except to weaken Obama's chances against McCain.
Posted by: brad obregon | April 23, 2008 5:34 PM
I hate to admit it, but she is going to win. Sad day in America. I am going to hate seeing her face, but I have hated seing Bush too. I dont think I will live to see a black face. And before you ask Bridgette...yes I am very bitter about that.
Posted by: Keith Lifetime Southsider | April 23, 2008 5:43 PM
Well done Hillary!
Hillary Rodham Clinton is the most qualified and most electable candidate in the race.
Obama has again proven he is unelectable. If you cannot win in states like Penn., Ohio, New York, Mass, New Jersey, Florida, Michigan, etc. you simply cannot win the Presidency. New polls show Obama would LOSE to McCain in these must win states for Dems while Hillary WINS!
ALL workers are "working class". The Dems need to understand this concept and stop with the classism, racism and sexism.
GO HILLARY!
Posted by: Kate | April 23, 2008 5:54 PM
Woohoo! Hillary can pay off her debts!
Posted by: Tom O | April 23, 2008 5:56 PM
Actually, Barack O'Bama cut Hillary's lead in half among voters over 60 in Pennsylvania. He also whittled her lead among white voters by 6 percent. And he's still ahead by 158 delegates.
He has cut her superdelegate lead from 100 to 25. The reason is that most polls show that O'Bama would tie or win against McCain, while Clinton would lose to him.
I agree that at least some Clinton financial "supporters" are actually John McCain's voting block. If Clinton is the Democratic candidate, she will lose by a landslide. You can bet on MILLIONS of Christian right-wingers voting against her, plus she will lose most votes from independents and from men.
Sorry, Clinton-ites. Barack O'Bama is still the best bet. If Hillary had the interests of her party in mind, and not her own ego, she would have pulled out of the race and put her support behind O'Bama a long time ago.
I used to be a fan of hers -- now I'm very disappointed in her. This is coming from a woman, by the way.
Posted by: bluesky | April 23, 2008 6:49 PM
>
No kidding. I remember when the Clintons were faced with the Whitewater scandal and the Monica scandal. They sent out letters to middle-class Americans begging for help to pay for their legal bills. You could give $10, $15, $20, et cetera. I sent $30 at the time because I supported President Clinton. Now the Clintons report $109 in gross income. I wonder how many of their supporters they've bothered to pay back? I haven't gotten a dime.
Posted by: Jennifer Martin | April 23, 2008 7:05 PM
Well, since Clinton was already about $12 Million in debt I guess this would put her at about the break even mark....almost. Maybe now she can stop stiffing her venders and her employee's all over the country.
Posted by: Katherine | April 23, 2008 7:08 PM
I hope this isn't from the same playbook where the sniper fire was found! I find it hard to believe anything coming out of the Clinton camp or Senator Clinton's mouth, at this time, I am sorry to say!!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | April 23, 2008 8:22 PM
I'm sure they'll just pay off their debts and retire peacefully, never to be seen or heard from again.
Posted by: Bubba | April 23, 2008 10:39 PM
Hillary only picked up 10 delegates in her "big" win. There is still no way for her to catch up, without a change in her downward trend. She did better when the voters didn't know her, and were only voting by name recognition (like Gulliani). She would still have to use her connections with SuperDelegates to override the popular vote, and that would ensure a McCain victory. She is dangerous because she has nothing to lose!
Posted by: brad obregon | April 24, 2008 10:45 AM