Barack Obama has set several fundraising records in his two-year White House run – his changing rules of the fundraising game have been consistent. Gathering momentum in August with $66 million, his previous record, Obama has more than doubled that.
Moreover, according to the Obama campaign, he also gained 632,000 new donors – his claim being more than 3 million contributors, with an average contribution of merely $86 per donor.
All these mind-boggling stats indicate that Obama has now raised more than $600 million – quite as much as the amount all the candidates from both major parties collected in private donations in 2004.
Thanking the supporters, campaign manager, David Plouffe, urged: “Even though we had such a great September financially, we need to ask you to continue to contribute.”
The Obama campaign is deploying its cash to dominate the airwaves, and to challenge McCain in traditionally Republican states. Plouffe said: “We’re always on the lookout for expansion. And West Virginia now is a state that we have to find more money, because we’re playing in West Virginia.”
In fact, Obama’s big money could change things all the way down the ballot, especially because West Virginia is among the few states that allow straight party-line voting.
West Virginia Republican Party Chairman, Douglas McKinney, who says money is a big factor, opined:
“In the last election, it was the biggest straight ticket voting in the history of the state.”
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