With last month’s election now considered ancient history, potential 2016 presidential candidates already are trying to cozy up with big-time campaign contributors.
The activity, coming from members of both parties, shows how important the biggest donors are with the advent of super PACs.
Just a week after Election Day, three Republican governors — Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, John Kasich of Ohio, and Bob McDonnell of Virginia — each met with hotel/casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, according to
Politico. He reportedly gave at least $70 million to the Republican cause in this election cycle, a record high.
Others active on the fundraising front include Maryland Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley, Vice President Joe Biden, Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner.
“A group of five people could contribute $10 million each and finance a substantial primary campaign for a candidate,” former South Carolina Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges told Politico. “So there is probably more of an effort right now focused on trying to look at those people who are capable of being very large donors, rather than soliciting or developing the network of bundlers that were out there in the past.”
For the 2012 presidential election, Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting Mitt Romney, raised $132 million, and Priorities USA Action, the super PAC supporting President Barack Obama, raised $63 million.
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