Hundreds Of Obama Bundlers Missing From Clinton's Elite Fundraising Ranks
Fredreka Schouten and Christopher Schnaars, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of wealthy Democrats who raised money for President Obama’s re-election have not yet joined the top fundraising ranks of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, raising hopes among some of Vice President Biden’s supporters that there remains a path for his late entry into the race.
Just 76, or less than 10%, of the 833 individuals who collected political cash for the 2012 Obama-Biden campaign are listed among Clinton’s “Hillblazers,” her campaign’s designation for people who already have bundled together at least $100,000 on her behalf, a USA TODAY analysis of Clinton’s newly updated fundraiser list shows.
Biden loyalists have sought to assure his supporters in recent days that there is still a viable route to the nomination, despite Clinton’s commanding debate performance Tuesday in Las Vegas and her early fundraising dominance over the 2016 field.
In a letter Thursday to Biden’s political network, one of his longest-serving advisers, former Delaware senator Ted Kaufman, pledged an “optimistic campaign” from Biden should he seek the presidency. Kaufman suggested that Biden was close to a decision.
It’s hard to pin down exactly how much of an opening remains for Biden among the Democratic fundraisers who helped the Obama-Biden ticket win a second term. New campaign-finance reports show scores of Obama’s bundlers giving $2,700 to Clinton, the maximum an individual can donate to her campaign for the primary.
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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/2015/10/18/hundreds-obama-bundlers-missing-clintons-elite-fundraising-ranks/74170182/
