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Barack Obama Rules Oakland / East Bay - Raises More Cash Than Clinton - Oakland Tribune

If one needs more evidence that Mayor Dellums backed the wrong presidential candidate, here's more. His own constituents, by a massive margin, have given more money to Senator Barack Obama's campaign for President.

As I told Mayor Dellums great communications director, all the Mayor has to do is switch his endorsement to Barack Obama. It's that easy. Here's the Tribune article.


Obama gets more money than Clinton
Illinois senator trumps New York's in donations from Contra Costa, Alameda counties
By Lisa Vorderbrueggen, STAFF WRITER


Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., may lead the presidential fundraising pack nationally but in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, it is the charismatic junior senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, who has the edge.

Nearly $4 out of every $10 shelled out by East Bay residents as of Sept. 30 went to Obama, led in large measure by contributions from folk in the liberal strongholds of Berkeley, Oakland and Piedmont.

Generous voters in the two counties have sent a total of $3million to the top 17 candidates, according to a MediaNews analysis of campaign finance data compiled by Congressional Quarterly Moneyline, a subscription service. The total reflects individual contributions but not those of political action committees or PACs.

The East Bay's cash infusion pales in comparison, of course, to the $53 million that candidates have raised statewide or the $375 million from individual donors across the nation.

But at least one East Bay fundraiser called the total impressive.

"Three million dollars is a remarkable number," said Jeff Bleich, a Piedmont attorney who has held Obama fundraisers. "It reflects the fact that the candidates recognize the importance of the East Bay and that they are reaching out here; $3 million is more than what candidates willraise in some entire states."

Among the Republicans, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney topped the list at $291,390 followed by U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, former Tennessee senator and actor Fred Thompson, Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., Rep. Duncan Hunter, D-El Cajon, Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee posted contributions ranging from $22,125 to $1,960.

"Gov. Romney has held (fundraisers) in the East Bay and we're seeing his support increase there," said Romney campaign spokeswoman Sarah Pompei. "Financial support is another way to show preference for your candidate."

Don Breuner of Alamo says he sent Romney $200, in part, because "I think any of the four Republican front-runners would do a better job than any of the Democratic candidates."

With the relatively small donor pool in the East Bay for Republican candidates, some question why they bother to hold events there.

But GOP presidential hopefuls have more at stake in California than campaign funds. The state GOP will allocate its national convention delegates, who will select the Republican presidential nominee, based on the Feb. 5 primary winners in each of the 53 Congressional districts.

"There's more incentive than ever before for Republican candidates to visit places like the Bay Area," said GOP campaign consultant Ray McNally. "They are getting exposure and banking votes."

Predictably, Democratic candidates collected the vast majority of contributions from the heavily Democratic East Bay, with Obama and Clinton sweeping up 63.5 percent of their party's total.

Obama recorded $1.2 million in contributions, followed by Clinton with nearly $766,000.

Former North Carolina senator John Edwards trailed with $363,713. Other candidates, including New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Delaware, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and former Sen. Mike Gravel, D-Alaska, received contributions ranging from
$3,527 to $84,436.

Democratic Party spokesman Bob Mulholland cautioned against reading too much into the fundraising gaps, particularly between Clinton and Obama.

Nationally, the two Democrats are in a dead heat when it comes to individual contributions, where each has raised about $79 million, according to MoneyLine.

"Given the size of California, the amount of money raised in a particular county or region really has a lot to do with how much a candidate has focused on that area," Mulholland said.

A look at the fundraising totals based on the home cities of the donors reflects Mulholland's conclusion.
Romney topped the list in Alamo, for example, where he held a fundraiser.

Obama has appeared in Oakland and Piedmont on several occasions, including a popular, public rally.

And Clinton just recently started holding East Bay events but has appeared at a couple of fundraisers in Lamorinda, where she topped the fundraising totals in its three communities: Lafayette, $53,980; Moraga, $32,995; and Orinda, $67,790.
"Historically, there's been a lot of support for Democratic candidates in Lamorinda," said Orinda Councilwoman Amy Worth, who supports Clinton. "But they tend to be moderate Democrats and, for that matter, moderate Republicans, who vote for people like (Rep.) Ellen Tauscher."

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