Hillary Rodham Clinton’s tremendous lead in the hunt for the Democratic presidential nomination didn’t stop her from frantically scratching for donations ahead of the first fundraising deadline of the campaign Tuesday.
After all, she’s got something to prove.
Despite early attempts to tamp down expectations for a fundraising juggernaut, Team Clinton set an ambitious goal of filing a $1 billion war chest for the race, which would require pulling in more that $150 million per quarter and generating an equal level of enthusiasm to President Obama’s two White House runs.
Clinton bundlers set the bar lower, saying they expected the tally to be about $30 million for the first quarterly report since Mrs. Clinton launched her campaign in April.
An impressive fundraising haul for the quarter that ended at midnight Tuesday would help dispel rumblings about the party’s dissatisfaction with its all-but-inevitable nominee.
For her Democratic competition, it’s a chance to prove they can tap a base of support.
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Sen. Bernard Sanders, the Vermont independent who has emerged as the chief rival to Mrs. Clinton, must show that he can turn a surge of grass-roots support into campaign cash.
Mr. Sanders, an avowed socialist who is running on a far-left agenda, denounced the fundraising scramble as “a national disgrace” even as he asked for contributions.
The Sanders campaign was expected to bring in about $10 million for the quarter.
“It is a national disgrace that billionaires and other extremely wealthy people are able to heavily influence the political process by making huge contributions. The Koch brothers alone will spend more than the Democratic and Republican parties to influence the outcome of next year’s elections. That’s not democracy, that’s oligarchy,” said Mr. Sanders.
The candidates stuck at the back of the pack — former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee — have to show that they are still credible candidates.
“One month in we feel good about the reception Gov. O’Malley is getting for his progressive track record and bold vision for rebuilding the American dream. We’re confident that we’ll have the resources we need, and we’re excited about our growing team,” said O’Malley campaign spokeswoman Haley Morris.
The fundraising report, which must be filed with the Federal Election Commission by July 15, also is an opportunity for the Clinton campaign to show that it has grass-roots support and not just backing of big donors, which could be important in beating back an insurgent challenge from Mr. Sanders.
John Podesta, the chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, sent out an email to a list of supporters who had yet to contribute, begging them to pitch in at least $1 before the midnight deadline.
“If you’re a runner like me, you know how important it is to set goals. We’ve got to hit 50,000 grassroots donations by tomorrow at midnight to make sure we’re able to plan for the months ahead,” he wrote in the email. “Will you help us reach our goal?”
In the two weeks prior to the deadline, Mrs. Clinton jetted across the country from one fundraising event to the next, including a New York City affair with performances by Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett and a California soiree at the home of movie star Tobey Maguire.
By Monday evening, Mrs. Clinton was attending a fundraiser hosted by rocker Jon Bon Jovi at a restaurant in Red Bank, New Jersey. Tickets cost $1,000 per person for open seating and $2,700 for a premium seat, according to the invitations.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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