Archive for November 3rd, 2012

Presidential campaign nears record-shattering $2 billion spending mark

Saturday, November 3, 2012 by:max.kranl@chron.com (Max Kranl)
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2012 has broken all records in presidential fundraising: Never before any candidate has raised and spent as much as in this year’s election campaign. The next milestone: Both candidates are about to hit the $1 billion mark.

According to OpenSecrets, the “red team” – this means Romney, the Republican party and outside spenders – lead the money race having spent over $989 million on campaigning. Obama’s blue team is just little behind: altogether over $928 million.

So, how do these numbers break down?

Mitt Romney has raised $389 million, got an additional $284 million from the party and $369 million from outside spenders, which is the largest portion of his funds.

Barack Obama has raised way more money: $632 million came from his donors. So far, he only spent $540 million of that amount. In addition to that came $263 million from the national party and $124 million from outside spenders.

Romney gets around 80 percent of his money from large individual contributions, while one-third of Obama’s funds come from small individual donations.

We’ll have to wait until after the election to see how much — and how — the campaigns and their Super PAC allies spend in the final days of the campaign.

Poll: Suburbanites split between Obama and Romney, president has edge among ‘empty nesters’

Saturday, November 3, 2012 by:summer.ballentine@chron.com (Summer Ballentine)
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Suburbia hasn’t been spared the political split that has the nation in a gridlock with less than a week before the election.

President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are on the same block with suburban voters, tied with 48 percent of likely voters each, according to a National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University. Analysis of a Pew Research Center poll by American University and Patchwork Nation shows Obama has a one point lead in suburbia overall.

Although Romney has a 5-point lead among suburban independents at 50 percent to Obama’s 45 percent. It’s different turf in urban communities, where Obama is leading 55-39 percent among independents.

The president has a slight edge with suburban undecideds, the Hofstra University study shows.

About 11 percent of those living in hamlet neighborhoods are swing voters, a sizable chunk that could make or break either candidate’s success with the demographic. Five percent lean toward Obama compared to Romney’s three percent.

The monied ‘burbs, highly educated and wealthier than the national average, house a large percentage of the population and are crucial come Tuesday. The communities strongly favored Obama during the 2008 campaign, according to Patchwork Nation data.

But it’s been a hard four years for suburbanites. Romney managed to peel away 14 percent of residents who voted for Obama in 2008, according to the Hofstra University study. Only four percent of John McCain backers now are supporting the president.

The president also might have an advantage among “emptying nest” counties, enclaves to the elderly and baby boomers, according to the American University and Patchwork Nation analysis.

They flocked to President George Bush in 2004, favoring him 56 percent to John Kerry’s 43 percent. This time around it’s another story. It’s tighter, but Obama has an 11 point edge with 52 percent compared to Romney’s 41 percent.

Many havens for retirees and the elderly are in swing states, key in winning a tight election where leads are so close. Emptying nest counties make up 11 percent of the Ohio population, 20 percent of Wisconsin’s and 32 percent of Iowa’s.