The quarterly campaign finance reports that will give the first real insight into fledgling machines of 2012 presidential candidates, and the relative strength of House and Senate incumbents and their challengers, are beginning to arrive in earnest this Friday afternoon in Washington, hours before a midnight filing deadline.
Reporters and pundits will dive deep into these reports this weekend, but The Washington Times is obtaining the reports within 10 minutes after they arrive, and for the political junkies who need to know now, here are some nuggets of first-glance observations:
The Barack Obama campaign raised $22 million from people giving less than $250, and $12 million from larger donors. It did not accept donations from political action committees, but did rely on about 250 well-connected “bundlers” who collected at least $50,000. About 30 collected $500,000 or more each.
The Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee working with the president and the national party, brought in $40 million, transferring half to the Democratic National Committee and about $12 million to the president’s reelection campaign. And that’s where the big-money donors directed their wealth. The overwhelming majority of donors to the OVF gave $10,000 or more.
The fund returned about half a million dollars to donors. It spent $67,000 at the N9NE Steakhouse. The DNC has more than $20 million on hand, but has debts of about $10 million.
A similar joint fundraising committee between House Speaker John A. Boehner and the National Republican Congressional Committee raised $1 million in the last three months.
Mr. Boehner’s campaign itself filed seconds ago and raised $1.8 million, spending $1.1 million. It has more than $3 million in the bank.
Minnesota Republican Tim Pawlenty raised $4.4 million and has $2 million remaining in the bank. Lobbyist James Hyland bundled $18,000 for the campaign. The haul dwarfs Rick Santorum, who attracted a mere $582,000.
In the House after Boehner, Florida Republican Alan West leads in funds raised in the last three months with $1.5 million, besting even leaders such as Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, Maryland Democrat.
The fundraising of Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican, who famously shouted “You lie!” at the president during the State of the Union address, lags, and he spent more than he raised.
The fund preparing for the Republican National Convention has $1 million in debts.
And Sarah Palin’s PAC raised $1.3 million, overwhelmingly from small individual donors. She spent even more, but still closes the period with more than a million dollars.
Some campaigns from cycles long gone are still active, or at least have ledgers that aren’t closed out. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s old presidential committee raised $127,000 this quarter, but still owes the firm of consultant Mark Penn $290,000. The campaign did not pay down any of that debt despite its intake.
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