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portlander23

(2,078 posts)
Fri May 20, 2016, 05:56 PM May 2016

Sanders outraises Clinton, Clinton beefs up super PAC warchest

Clinton beefs up campaign, super PAC war chests
By Dan Merica and Theodore Schlepper CNN

Clinton's top super PAC, Priorities USA, said Friday it has $47 million in the bank. Her campaign raised $20 million in April. And working with the Democratic National Committee, she is amping up coordinated campaign operations in eight battleground states.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has criticized Clinton's super PAC and Victory Fund operations during the campaign. His speeches criticize the use of super PACs -- outside groups that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of cash -- and he has also raised questions about the Hillary Victory fund, accusing Clinton of "laundering" money through the outfit that is meant to benefit down-ballot Democrats. Sanders and his top aides particularly faulted Clinton for transferring most money to the DNC, rather than the state parties.

Sanders' campaign outraised Clinton in April, according to his FEC filing. He raised $27 million, but spent $39 million and ended the month with just under $6 million in the bank.

The Hillary Victory Fund operation allows Clinton to collect $350,000 checks from wealthy contributors. At the time, the Clinton campaign said that was because coordinated campaigns had not been built yet and that additional funds would go to the state parties in May.


A few takeaways. First, while Mr. Sanders has demonstrated that it is possible to run a national campaign on small donations, perhaps more convincingly so than any politician that has come before, the Clinton campaign is sticking it it's traditional big money fundraising. The refusal to not "unilaterally disarm" has not been moved at all by Sander's example.

Second, it's very surprising that at this late stage in the game Mr. Sanders continues to outraise Mrs. Clinton. It's either a testament to the strength of the progressive movement or to Mrs. Clinton's inability to fundraise directly from voters.

Third, it appears that Mr. Sanders is burning through his cash, which leads one to believe he's not reserving his war chest to turn over to the party after the nomination is decided. He's all in on effecting change and not towing the line.
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Sanders outraises Clinton, Clinton beefs up super PAC warchest (Original Post) portlander23 May 2016 OP
But something is left out - much of that money is going to downticket candidates. tonyt53 May 2016 #1
Maybe, maybe not portlander23 May 2016 #2
 

tonyt53

(5,737 posts)
1. But something is left out - much of that money is going to downticket candidates.
Fri May 20, 2016, 05:59 PM
May 2016

Bernie, and his followers somehow do not recognize that for anything to get moving, it will take at least a Democrat majority in the Senate. Wonder why Bernie has not helped the first person running for a Senate seat? Maybe he just doesn't understand that fact.

 

portlander23

(2,078 posts)
2. Maybe, maybe not
Fri May 20, 2016, 06:04 PM
May 2016
Clinton fundraising leaves little for state parties
The Democratic front-runner says she's raising big checks to help state committees, but they've gotten to keep only 1 percent of the $60 million raised.
By KENNETH P. VOGEL and ISAAC ARNSDORF
Politico

The venture, the Hillary Victory Fund, is a so-called joint fundraising committee comprised of Clinton’s presidential campaign, the Democratic National Committee and 32 state party committees. The setup allows Clinton to solicit checks of $350,000 or more from her super-rich supporters at extravagant fundraisers including a dinner at George Clooney’s house and a concert at Radio City Music Hall featuring Katy Perry and Elton John.

The victory fund has transferred $3.8 million to the state parties, but almost all of that cash ($3.3 million, or 88 percent) was quickly transferred to the DNC, usually within a day or two, by the Clinton staffer who controls the committee, POLITICO’s analysis of the FEC records found.

By contrast, the victory fund has transferred $15.4 million to Clinton’s campaign and $5.7 million to the DNC, which will work closely with Clinton’s campaign if and when she becomes the party’s nominee. And most of the $23.3 million spent directly by the victory fund has gone toward expenses that appear to have directly benefited Clinton’s campaign, including $2.8 million for “salary and overhead” and $8.6 million for web advertising that mostly looks indistinguishable from Clinton campaign ads and that has helped Clinton build a network of small donors who will be critical in a general election expected to cost each side well in excess of $1 billion.


It's a nice story, but it seems Mrs. Clinton has been focused primary on funding her own campaign.
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