D's outraising R's in Florida

Here's a switch: Newly filed campaign finance reports show Sen. Clinton raised nearly $1.9-million from Florida in the first three months of the year. Democratic Illinois Sen. Barack Obama raised nearly $1.02-million, and Republican former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney raised nearly $1.01-million.Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain raised more than $980,000 in Florida, while Republican former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani raised nearly $823,000. Democratic former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina raised about $503,000 in Florida. More here.

"People are waiting. They want to see how it shakes out, and I'm in that category too," said Tampa developer Al Austin, one of Florida's top Republican fundraisers. "Money will not be a problem. The stronger Hillary and Obama look, the more money we will raise."

Comments

Wow! Romney outraised both McCain and Giuliani in Florida... I thought he got all his money from Utah.

Give the Utah stuff a rest. The fact that Romney outraised the other Republicans in Florida, a state where none of them have an advantage (ie, New York, Mass, or Arizona), is a big sign that Romney's fundraising is not going to slow down.

McCain did great in Fla. He mearly outraised Mitt. If you compare that to the rest of the country Fla is Mccain country..

Rudys slipping in the polls and the McCain truth express will only help the McCain money machine next qtr.

Explain to me how comming in 2nd place makes FL McCain country? McCain has been running for prez for 8 years and he could not beat a guy in single digits in the polls...

[IssyWise]

The process of fund raising is a form of prostitution by candidates and an opportunity for entrepreneurs to make capital investments in the business of mining the public treasury.

We don't have a democracy when our candidates are screened for us by the rich who decide who write checks to decide who will be credible.

How is that different from Iran where Mullahs decide who gets on the ballot before voters are given leave to choose between the offered choices?

Is possession of money a better qualification for deciding election choices than self-perceived holiness?

We can change this if we just make it damn clear to our prostitute incumbents that all the money in the world won't protect them from the voter expectation that they permanently free the process from this legalized corruption.

Hey, coming in a distant third in the fundraising race, I am just glad McCain is raising money somewhere...even if they have to use the dollars to plug the holes in their sinking ship.

"Even as Florida lawmakers wrestle over how to lower property taxes, Scott Maxwell found out that Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer owed more than $13,000 in taxes on a company he owned in Seminole County. Greer paid the bill less than 24 hours after being asked about it."

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2007/04/gop_chair_owed_.html

Hillary accepted money from Hugh Hefner..ouch

Under The Dome

Hugh Hefner gives $2,300 to Clinton’s ’08 campaign

By The Hill Staff

April 17, 2007
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is seeking to become the first woman president, and a man who has published countless pictures of naked women is pitching in for her White House bid.

Hugh Hefner, the founder of the Playboy Enterprises empire, is among the many celebrities who have picked their favorite candidate to succeed President Bush in 2009.

Hefner contributed $2,300 (the maximum allowed in the primary) to Clinton’s campaign on March 28, identifying his occupation on the fundraiser form as “editor-in-chief” of Playboy magazine.

Hefner has given thousands to Democrats over the years, including $2,000 to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004 and $1,000 each to Al Gore and then-President Clinton in the 1990’s. Hefner’s favorite on Capitol Hill is Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.); he has given her $13,200 since 1996, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Sanchez attracted controversy by planning to hold a fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion during the 2000 Democratic National Convention in California.

Other Clinton backers include Chevy Chase, TV personality Jerry Springer, and Barbra Streisand.

Clinton’s campaign did not return a phone call seeking comment.

An early review of celebrity donations shows that Sen. Barack Obama (D) is grabbing most of the big names in Hollywood. Jennifer Aniston, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Tobey Maguire, Edward Norton and Ben Stiller have opened their wallet for the junior senator from Illinois.

Dennis Haysbert, the black actor who portrayed the president in the Fox show “24” before his character was assassinated last year, also gave to Obama.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) attracted the financial backing of Rob Reiner, while Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) got Steve Martin, Paul Newman and “Saturday Night Live” honcho Lorne Michaels. Singer Don Henley and actor/writer Larry David contributed to former Sen. John Edwards’s (D-N.C.) war chest.

Some celebs have several horses in the field. Rosie O’Donnell gave to both Clinton and Richardson. Michael Douglas is a fan of Dodd and Richardson, based on fundraising information culled from PoliticalMoneyLine.

Most of Hollywood gave to Democratic candidates (shocking), but there were a few exceptions.

Actors Kelsey Grammer, Adam Sandler and John O’Hurley (J. Peterman on “Seinfeld”) cut checks for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R).

A chart, representing a sampling of celebrity endorsements/donations for the 2008 race for the White House, follows:

Clinton
Candice Bergen
Christie Brinkley
Chevy Chase
Hugh Hefner
Christine Lahti
Barry Manilow
Marla Maples
Rosie O’Donnell
Jerry Springer
Barbra Streisand

Obama
Jennifer Aniston
Jackson Browne
Morgan Freeman
Tom Hanks
Dennis Haysbert
Tobey Maguire
Barry Manilow
Branford Marsalis
Eddie Murphy
Ed Norton
Ben Stiller
Gene Wilder
Dodd
Edie Brickell
Michael Douglas
Steve Martin
Lorne Michaels
Paul Newman
Elisabeth Shue
Paul Simon
Joanne Woodward
Edwards
Larry David
Seth Green
Don Henley

Kucinich
Mark Ruffalo

Richardson
Michael Douglas
Rosie O’Donnell
Rob Reiner

Giuliani
Kelsey Grammer
John O’Hurley
Adam Sandler
Ben Stein

http://thehill.com/under-the-dome/hugh-hefner-gives-2300-to-clintons-08-campaign-2007-04-16.html

[politicalspectator]

Hugh Hefner is the 1st Amendment guy. All you Victorian ostriches get your heads out of the sand...his business is not going away. If Hefner, Flynt, Guccione or local boy Redner want to contribute, their money is just as green as anyone's. And they have more of it. All they ask in return is that the candidate uphold the Constitution. What a sacrifice.

D's out raise R's in fla...
guess floridians have gotten their fill of lies, deficits, lies, incompetence, lies, deaths, lies, depleted military, lies, trampling of constitutional rights, lies..........

Or are just about to start getting it as the D's continue to flood Florida!

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain each led their party's presidential campaign fundraising in Florida.
BY ROB BARRY AND BETH REINHARD
Democratic presidential candidates raised nearly 35 percent more than their Republican rivals in Florida over the past three months, tracking national figures that suggest GOP donors are less enthusiastic about their prospects.
Democrats raised more than $4.3 million -- with nearly half going to fundraising leader Hillary Clinton -- while Republicans collected more than $3.2 million, according to a Miami Herald analysis.

Florida Democrats attributed their faster pace to the celebrity status of the leading candidates, coupled with dissatisfaction with the current Republican administration. Clinton would be the first female president, while Democrat Barack Obama -- who came in second place with $1.2 million -- would be the first black president.

''People are waiting for 2008, they're excited about change, and the money is following the enthusiasm,'' said Miami attorney Ira Leesfield, who hosted a reception for Clinton. ``I see a lot of eye rolling among my Republican friends.''

The campaign reports, which were due Sunday to the Federal Election Commission, provide an early window into the most wide-open presidential race in more than half a century. With state lawmakers poised to move up Florida's primary as early as Jan. 29, the nation's biggest battleground state could play its biggest role in choosing the nominees.

John McCain was Florida's top GOP fundraiser, collecting $1.1 million, though the Arizona senator came in third among Republican candidates nationwide. He also spent less in the state than rivals Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani.

Not far behind in contributions was Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, whose success in nailing down big-name endorsements and donors has yet to pay off in poll numbers. He was favored by only 5 percent of Florida Republicans in the most recent survey by Quinnipiac University.

''Gov. Romney is still introducing himself to Florida voters, and when he does. . . his message is definitely resonating,'' said Romney spokeswoman Gail Gitcho. ``We're not only seeing that in Florida but across the country.''

Romney led the Republican field nationwide, collecting more than $23 million. Clinton led the Democrats, as she did in Florida.

Former New York City Mayor Giuliani, who tops the polls despite his campaign's later start, raised about $940,000 in Florida. Democrat John Edwards, the former vice presidential candidate, was next with $660,000.

The only Hispanic candidate considered a contender, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, collected $200,000 in the immigrant-rich state.

Obama has attracted nationwide attention for outraising more established candidates through a wide network of more than 100,000 donors, who have given smaller contributions -- meaning he can hit them up for money again and again. His broad reach extends into Florida, where the campaign charged $100 per person at a West Palm Beach reception last month, and only $25 on Sunday at a Tampa event that drew more than 2,000 people.

At the same time, Obama's top fundraisers have proven adept at bundling checks from friends and associates, each for the maximum $2,300 contribution. For example, the Jacksonville personal injury law firm of Pajcic & Pajcic raised at least $34,500 for the Illinois senator.

''What you see in the Obama campaign is appeal across the board -- to rank-and-file voters, $25 donors, and to people who are able to do more,'' said Steve Pajcic, the firm's co-founder.

Other top bundlers: H.I.G. Capital to Romney; the Morgan & Morgan personal injury law firm to Edwards; AVM securities brokerage to Giuliani, and sugar grower Florida Crystals Corp. to Clinton. Hedging its bets, the Holland & Knight law firm bundled checks to both Clinton and McCain.

About $600,000 of Clinton's first-place total must be socked away for the general election campaign. That means Obama approached Clinton in fundraising for the primary and surpassed Edwards, even though the two veterans have been campaigning in the state for years.

Pajcic said: 'When I introduced him at my house, I said, `I want to introduce my good friend Barack Obama, whom I just met 30 minutes ago.' ''

Nationwide, Florida came in sixth in presidential contributions, following New York, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Texas.

So far, the candidates have dropped more than $1 million in Florida, mostly by Romney and Giuliani.

Both paid Tallahassee-based Yuma Solutions hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide computers and technical services nationwide. Romney also spent the most money of any candidate -- roughly $133,000 -- on consultants and travel.

But Boca Raton developer Mark Guzzetta, a top Romney fundraiser, pointed out that the candidate is not spending time and money to solicit contributions for a potential general election campaign, unlike other major candidates.

Wow, St. Pete times is wrong...McCain outraised Romney.

[silencedogood]

why lay off the utah stuff? I think the Romney donors get told they get a planet closer to Kolob if they donate. wait until the christian coalition nutbags realize they have little in common with mormon beliefs.

Remember when flip flopper was a bad thing? From the AP:
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, also a candidate for president, is wrong when she says "it takes a village" to raise a child.

"I think it's time for us to recognize every child deserves a mother and a father," Romney said during a speech to New Hampshire Republicans this weekend in Newbury.

The statement, however, runs counter to what The Boston Globe quoted him as saying in 1998:

"Hillary Clinton is very much right, it does take a village, and we are a village and we need to work together in a non-skeptical, no-finger-pointing way. . . ."

You guys were just putting us on...you're ok with flip floppers named Romney, McCain and Giuliani.

[Erik Libby]

The ugly emphasis on money and political contributions to candidate further prooves that neither party is the party of the common working person. I hope that the Democrat who wins remembers the humble roots that most of us working people come from.

At least John Edwards acknowledges his Mother and Father's working class roots and the real sacrifices they made to put him through UNC for law and BA degrees. Go John the best populist candidate who happens to be wealthy.