Obama to Hit Money Trail for Democrats
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Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) — Three months after concluding a record-smashing political fundraising operation, President Obama is making plans to return to the money trail to drum up dollars for Democrats.
Obama has committed to hosting at least 14 fundraisers for congressional Democrats this year, party officials said. The plan was described as a “significant step up” from previous fundraising efforts by second-term presidents and “aggressive,” coming nearly two years before the midterm elections.
The president, who is very popular in Democratic enclaves and able to draw big crowds, will travel outside Washington for 10 of the events, with five benefiting the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, respectively, officials said.
Four events will be held in Washington, with two separate events to benefit each individual committee and two joint events.
Obama and party leaders are aiming to close the gap with House Republicans, who hold a majority in the chamber. Democrats are also looking to bolster their narrow majority in the Senate.
In 2009, ahead of the last midterm election, Obama attended 10 fundraisers for the congressional Democratic campaign committees. His focus then quickly shifted to raising money for his own re-election, attending an unprecedented 222 fundraising events between 2011 and 2012 that helped make his one of the first billion-dollar presidential campaigns.
The president’s fundraising schedule for 2013 was first reported by The New York Times.
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