Candidates Stress Early Fundraising

From the buzz I've been hearing and seeing, I think Obama's number is going to rock (but have no idea how to quantify it)...

Presidential candidates are collecting contributions at a record-setting pace and are racing to load their schedules with fundraising events ahead of March 31, the campaign's cutoff for financial reports that will be filed next month...

"It's almost a geometric increase," said Michael E. Toner, who left his post as a member of the Federal Election Commission last week.

Campaigns are also aggressively trying to manage expectations, providing low-ball estimates of what they will raise while exaggerating predictions for their opponents. Estimates of what Clinton will raise this quarter range from $15 million (the official prediction of the campaign, but one her own aides privately concede is low) to $50 million (a staggering and probably unrealistic figure).

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has similarly played down his goals, with aides saying they would be thrilled with a take of $7 million to $12 million this quarter. But there is ample evidence -- such as Obama's raising $1.3 million at a single Hollywood event -- to suggest that he could do better, perhaps hitting $20 million or higher.

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Candidates Stress Early Fundraising
Tallies for First Quarter Could Be Make-or-Break

By Anne E. Kornblut and Chris Cillizza
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, March 21, 2007; A01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/20/AR2007032001537.html

Presidential candidates are collecting contributions at a record-setting pace and are racing to load their schedules with fundraising events ahead of March 31, the campaign's cutoff for financial reports that will be filed next month.

The amounts that contenders can bring in will shape the narrative of the race for months to come -- potentially vaulting a candidate into the top tier -- and could spell an early exit for some.