Small Donors Put Dems at Top of Money Heap

Baby bundlers and Obama hype bring in new givers
By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 26, 2007 2:43 PM CDT
Small Donors Put Dems at Top of Money Heap
Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., shakes hands with people in the audience at a fundraiser in Portland, Ore., Friday, Sept. 7, 2007. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)   (Associated Press)

Small donations have a crucial role in the presidential race, and could give the eventual Democratic nominee a serious advantage, Politico reports. So-called baby bundlers—those who convince others to give, on a small scale—are leading the surge; Barack Obama's campaign, whose 75,000 new third-quarter donors match the GOP’s entire base in the year’s first half, is on the cutting edge.

As illustrated by 2004’s Deaniacs, the eventual Dem nominee stands to gain most existing givers; it’s thus a boon that 87% of party donors in 2007’s first half gave no money in 2004 primaries. And Obama’s small-money numbers dwarf the competition: He received $16.4 million in donations under $200 in the second quarter, four times Hillary Clinton's take. (More Hillary Clinton stories.)

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