Originally published Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Campaign Notebook
McCain, RNC start August with $96M
John McCain and the Republican National Committee (RNC) started August with a hefty $96 million, financially flush and strongly positioned to compete with prolific fundraiser Barack Obama and the Democratic Party.
WASHINGTON — John McCain and the Republican National Committee (RNC) started August with a hefty $96 million, financially flush and strongly positioned to compete with prolific fundraiser Barack Obama and the Democratic Party.
McCain raised $27 million in July, his largest one-month fundraising haul since clinching the GOP presidential nomination, and had $21 million available to spend, while the RNC brought in nearly $26 million, leaving it with $75 million on hand to compete with the Democrats. McCain alone has 600,000 donors, while the party said it had reached 1 million.
By comparison, Obama recently surpassed 2 million contributors, giving him a larger pool of donors to hit up for money again. He and the Democratic National Committee have not disclosed their July takes.
Obama ahead in polls, narrowly
Democrat Barack Obama maintains a steady lead of 3.5 percentage points over Republican John McCain, according to the averages of six national polls this month compiled by the Web site www.RealClearPolitics.com.
More sobering for Obama is that at the same stage four years ago — a week out from the Democratic National Convention — Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry was ahead of President Bush in the polls. Kerry's average lead in six polls before the 2004 convention was narrower, however, at a single point.
Recent surveys in a dozen states that voted Republican in the last election show Obama running slightly ahead of McCain or only a few points behind. In Alaska, for example, a poll by the Democratic firm Hays Research Group last week showed Obama ahead by 5 percentage points. In Virginia, another so-called red state, three recent polls show Obama and McCain tied. In 2004, Alaskans gave Bush 61 percent of their votes, and he got 54 percent in Virginia.
There are no states that went Democratic in 2004 where McCain is currently ahead.
Also
Another record: The Secret Service projects the cost of protecting the presidential candidates will be almost $107 million, a record. That compares with $74 million in 2004. Malcolm Wiley, a Secret Service spokesman, said the bigger field of candidates and the fact that Obama was given a detail earlier than any candidate in history contributed to the higher cost.
VP mail? The Barack Obama campaign has promised that anyone who signs up will be "the first to know" the candidate's vice-presidential pick, via e-mail or text message.
Seattle Times news services
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
UPDATE - 01:29 AM
Conservative Democrats break ranks on health care
UPDATE - 01:14 AM
Obama set for emotional visits to Vatican, Ghana
UPDATE - 01:16 AM
SKorea says attackers use IP address in 16 nations
Nations pledge to curb climate change at G-8 summit
First ladies with G-8 view quake ruins

Gen. David Petraeus: Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
Watch highlights of General David Petraeus discussing the Iraq and Afghanistan War at the Global Leadership Series sponsored by the World Affairs Council.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
What not to wear to work this summer
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sports car/coupe? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Seattle-area homebuilder losing projects to foreclosure
- Health-plan costs soar for individuals
- Trees vs. houses: Narrow, leafy street is last chance for two Madrona homes waiting to be moved
- World's largest solar plant may be built in Cle Elum
- Driver killed, deputy and prisoner injured in head-on crash near Monroe
- House Democrats likely to alter intel bill
- Drunken man shocks Spain with his generosity
- Movie review | "Brüno" struts his stuff to hilariously expose intolerance
- Chase will no longer sponsor Lake Union fireworks
- 4 Ill. cemetery workers accused in grisly plot
- Mass. files lawsuit against federal marriage law
913 - Health-plan costs soar for individuals
523 - Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners: 07/09 game thread
243 - Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik again declines to quell Yuniesky Betancourt trade rumors
145 - World's largest solar plant may be built in Cle Elum
126 - Trees vs. houses: Narrow, leafy street is last chance for two Madrona homes waiting to be moved
91 - Wednesday night notes
86 - Pay parking in West Seattle?
76 - Franklin Gutierrez bails Mariners out in a 3-1 win
75 - House Dems want to expand secret briefings
63
- Seattle-area homebuilder losing projects to foreclosure
- Health-plan costs soar for individuals
- World's largest solar plant may be built in Cle Elum
- Trees vs. houses: Narrow, leafy street is last chance for two Madrona homes waiting to be moved
- Grab the kids and hop on Amtrak for a stress-free getaway to Portland
- During financial crisis, the business of college sports is complicated by Title IX
- Local Smith & Hawken garden stores to close
- Green River Valley plans ahead for possible flooding
- Pay parking in West Seattle?
- Jerry Large | Issues of aging affect all





