State's top Dems split in allegiance

Battle for cash may mean less for general election

By Burt Hubbard, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 12, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Democratic opponents Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have already raised more than $4 million from Coloradans in their pursuit of the presidency, splitting the allegiances of the state's top Democrats.

Clinton has the Aspen crowd. Obama is running away with the Boulder money. Clinton does proportionately better with attorneys and CEOs, while Obama does well with students and professors.

Obama's donors include state Sen. Chris Romer. Clinton has his father, former Gov. Roy Romer.

Clinton dipped into one of Colorado's deep pockets, philanthropist Patricia Stryker. Obama got money from another well-known Democratic donor, software entrepreneur Rutt Bridges.

Former Denver Mayor Federico Pena gave to Obama. Former Denver first lady Wilma Webb donated to Clinton.

"It's clearly been divisive," said Scott Adler, associate political science professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

From January 2007 through the end of February this year, Obama has received about $2.5 million from Coloradans, while Clinton has taken in almost $1.6 million, according to a Rocky Mountain News analysis of campaign finance reports.

Back on Super Tuesday, Obama carried Colorado 2-1 over Clinton.

But the combined rate of giving to the two candidates is more than eight times the $500,000 raised for the same time period in the 2004 presidential campaign for Democrat John Kerry, who had wrapped up the nomination.

Republican nominee John McCain has raised about $700,000 from Coloradans.

"Democratic donors are seeing this as a real opportunity" to retake the White House, Adler said.

Political analysts said the rifts within the political party can be healed.

"I think the depth and durability of the split is being overplayed," said Ken Bickers, chairman of the political science department at CU-Boulder. "Democrats want to win the White House back. They are going to get on what horse is still standing."

But the protracted battle is taking its toll on campaign cash, Bickers said, and the spent money can't be recouped.

"The Democrats, the one thing they are doing is burning up a lot of money that could be used in a general election contest between now and Labor Day," he said.

"The money being used to run against one another isn't being used to run against McCain," Bickers said.

The analysis of federal campaign donations shows that about 300 Colorado donors have contributed the maximum $2,300 for the primary election to both Clinton and Obama.

However, Bickers said many other donors can't afford to give more than the $100 to $200 that they have already given, and will not be able to pony up again for the general election.

• April 12, 2008

  7:54 a.m.

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  Highcountry writes:

  Clinton has the Aspen crowd? Is that why Obama beat Clinton in a landslide in the Aspen caucuses? Clinton doesn't have the Aspen crowd.

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