Senator Barack Obama raised $66 million in the month of August, making it his best month ever and the best in American political history, an aide said Sunday morning.
Obama is releasing that number after suggestions that his fundraising was failing to meet expectations. It puts him on pace to substantially outspend John McCain in the last two months of the race, in which McCain will be limited to spending the $84 million supplied by the Treasury under public financing rules.
A solid showing, and he will need it. This is going to be a very close election.
Brian J
I’m just going to copy what I wrote at TPM, because I’m lazy and because I have to get ready for work soon.
1. Not a bad number at all. Not exactly the $100 million I was hoping for, but then, with people so nervous about the economy, it’s all the more incredible. I just hope this means he has enough to keep up the advertising in some red areas, like Indiana and North Carolina, for a few more weeks even if it doesn’t look good right now.
2. The campaign reports adding half a million new donors this month. [from TPM]
I didn’t even catch this part. If that’s true, and then are up to 2.5 million donors overall, that’s simply incredible. Did Bush and Cheney get that high in 2004? I’d take it two ways. The first is that, for purely fund raising purposes, it means he has even more of a cushion. The election is about six weeks away, but if really found 500,000 new donors, an average contribution of $25 from each every two weeks is $12.5 million, or $25 million. That’s just awesome, and if they really hold people up by the ankles in the next few weeks, I don’t see how McCain can avoid being outspent. The second way I’d take it is, perhaps he’s got a lot more underlying support than the polls suggest. Did McCain add anywhere near that number of donors in recent weeks? It’s a 25 percent increase from where he was when he last announced. I don’t know if the campaigns usually see a surge around this time, but even if they, is it usually that high? Either way, hearing this is a nice change of mind from where I was yesterday, when I thought we were going to lose.
Gus
Great, now maybe the Obama campaign can run a few fucking commercials here in Minnesota to counter the flood of McCain commercials I see every time I watch. According to the Mpls Star/Tribune, McCain has pulled even in a state that hasn’t gone GOP since Nixon.
iluvsummr
Just made my first contribution through ActBlue — I usually donate directly through the barackobama.com site. Viewing fivethirtyeight.com this morning has had an effect. I’m trying to burn the words “convention bounce” into my brain and not freak out. Two weeks from now, when the anti-Palin backlash kicks in, we’ll probably all breathe a sigh of relief.
Darkness
If being a POW is the reason McCain doesn’t know economic policy (per his aide’s comment) and being a POW is the reason he can’t use the internet (per a pundit’s Serious comment), then perhaps it should also be the reason he can’t be president. I don’t know what the connection would be there, but I don’t know what the connection would be on any of the other excuses either, so why not assert it?
EL
For those of us who are now maxed out to Obama, consider donating to one of the 527s. There’s a diary up on DKos linking a few.
I’m not crazy about some of the ads that are up, but others seem worthy. And I’d like to encourage more choices in ads and 527s.
ppcli
Absolutely we should be donating to 527s once we have maxed out on Obama (as I and my wife have). The swift boat thugs are getting ready for a big push in the last two weeks, and they have very deep pockets.
Jon H
I just hope they’re spending a fair amount of that on skilled legal teams to block GOP efforts at mass disenfranchisement.
dan robinson
Yeah, but the RNC has no limit on the amount of money it can raise or spend, and they will be running a lot of spots for McCain and against Obama.
During the kerfluffle over Obama not accepting public money, people didn’t talk too much about that.
zuzu's petals
You can also donate up to the max to the DNC…in fact they have a special fund designated for nothin’ but Obama. It’s called the Obama Victory Fund, sorry I can’t find a link. From what I understand, Obama takes a certain percentage of each donation directly, and the DNC spends the rest on Obama-related efforts.
zuzu's petals
They’re definitely recruiting.
I’ve signed up, and volunteered to travel to wherever I’m needed … California being a pretty safe state and all.
Laura W
That is just mind-blowing awesome of you.
I can’t do that, but I can go give a direct $$ donation in your honor.