Political Science
Fundraising—continuity and change
Document Type
Book Chapter
Abstract
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama raised a total of $765 million—more than twice what his opponent, Republican senator John McCain, raised, more than twice what either George W. Bush or John Kerry raised in 2004, and more than six times what Democratic nominee Al Gore raised in 2000. As the election was taking shape, few would have predicted that Obama, a first-term senator who had never actually run in a close election, would be able to eclipse veteran politicians such as his primary opponent Hillary Clinton. Yet there were signs long before 2008 that the Internet had already begun to revolutionize campaign fundraising, at least at the presidential level, and that once candidates figured out how to adapt to the new world of fundraising, the cost of running for office would skyrocket. The Obama campaign has set a goal of raising $1 billion in 2012, and it is certainly possible that the Republican nominee will raise nearly as much as well.
Publication Title
Campaigns on the Cutting Edge, Second Edition
Publication Date
1-2012
First Page
11
Last Page
27
ISBN
9781483349602
DOI
10.4135/9781483349602.n2
Keywords
campaigns, direct mail, donors, elections, Howard Dean, Ron Paul, supporters
Repository Citation
Boatright, Robert G., "Fundraising—continuity and change" (2012). Political Science. 57.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_political_science/57
