Tables Turned: GOP Field Outraising Obama in Several Battleground States

Republican candidates are raising more large donor money than Obama in 11 states won by the President in 2008; Obama outraised the GOP field in eight of these states that cycle

If the eventual Republican presidential nominee is going to win the White House in 2012, that candidate will need to flip several states Barack Obama carried in the 2008 contest against John McCain.

Early fundraising for the GOP field signals that the Republican Party has already made inroads in several of these states – notching more contributions than the president in large donor money in nearly a dozen of them.

A Smart Politics analysis of FEC data finds Republican presidential candidates have raised more large donor money ($200 or greater per individual) than Barack Obama in 11 states won by the President in 2008.

Almost all of these states will be considered battlegrounds next November: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Virginia.

Overall, Obama received $116 million from these 11 states he carried in the ’08 cycle compared to $100 million for the entire Republican field, and raised more money than the Republicans in eight of them: Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Ohio.

In the current cycle, the GOP field has nearly doubled up on the president in these 11 states, raising $14.7 million compared to just $7.4 million for Obama.

Nevada, which has the largest unemployment rate in the nation at north of 13 percent, currently has the largest per capita discrepancy in favor of the GOP candidates among these 2008 ‘Obama states.’

The 2012 Republican field has raised $278.56 per 1,000 residents collectively in Nevada compared to just $57.57 for Obama, or a difference of $220.99 per 1,000 residents.

Next is Connecticut with a +$204 net fundraising advantage per 1,000 residents for the Republicans, followed by Minnesota ($179), Florida ($139), New Hampshire ($135), Colorado ($99), Michigan ($64), Virginia ($47), Ohio ($45), Iowa ($18), and Indiana ($16).

Obama has tallied more large donor fundraising than the Republicans in just 18 states plus the District of Columbia.

In D.C., Obama has received $4,870 more per 1,000 residents than the Republican field, followed by Vermont (by $523 per 1,000 residents), Maine ($299), Maryland ($138), Washington ($109), Illinois ($98), Delaware ($79), California ($66), Rhode Island ($59), Massachusetts ($58), Hawaii ($52), New York ($46), New Mexico ($17), Wisconsin ($14), Oregon ($13), North Carolina ($10), New Jersey ($7), Montana ($4), and Pennsylvania ($3).

Montana is the only state carried by John McCain in 2008 in which Obama is currently receiving a greater amount of large donor money per capita than the Republican field.

Republican inroads can also be seen in that “Obama states” make up 12 of the Top 20 spots for large donor per capita giving in the GOP presidential field, whereas no state won by John McCain appears on the president’s Top 20 per capita list in giving to his reelection campaign.

The District of Columbia leads the pack for Obama – giving $5,654 per 1,000 residents in the election cycle thus far to the president, or approximately 7.2 times the amount given to the nearly dozen Republicans who have campaigned for his job this cycle (at $784 per capita).

After D.C., Obama’s fundraising stronghold is a long string of 19 states he won in 2008: Vermont (at $599 per 1,000 residents), Massachusetts ($433), Maine ($365), Maryland ($305), New York ($302), California ($270), Illinois ($227), Connecticut ($217), Washington ($208), Rhode Island ($187), New Hampshire ($172), Virginia ($163), New Jersey ($138), Delaware ($136), New Mexico ($122), Hawaii ($121), Pennsylvania ($120), Colorado ($120), and Florida ($111).

These 20 states are responsible for over 78 percent of the total large donor fundraising to Obama thus far.

The top McCain state in per capita large donor contributions to the Obama campaign is Wyoming at #21 – giving $107 per 1,000 residents to his reelection, followed by Alaska at #22 ($105), Texas at #23 ($105), Montana at #25 ($99), and Utah at #26 ($94).

Large Donor Individual Contributions to Barack Obama through Q3 2011 (Per 1,000 Residents)

Rank	State	2008	Raised	Per 1,000
1	D.C.	Obama	$3,402,641	$5,654.83
2	Vermont	Obama	$375,075	$599.41
3	Massachusetts	Obama	$2,836,816	$433.26
4	Maine	Obama	$486,027	$365.88
5	Maryland	Obama	$1,764,374	$305.60
6	New York	Obama	$5,867,974	$302.81
7	California	Obama	$10,077,753	$270.51
8	Illinois	Obama	$2,920,779	$227.64
9	Connecticut	Obama	$775,807	$217.06
10	Washington	Obama	$1,401,796	$208.46
11	Rhode Island	Obama	$197,650	$187.78
12	New Hampshire	Obama	$227,594	$172.88
13	Virginia	Obama	$1,308,792	$163.58
14	New Jersey	Obama	$1,219,329	$138.69
15	Delaware	Obama	$122,340	$136.25
16	New Mexico	Obama	$252,417	$122.58
17	Hawaii	Obama	$165,753	$121.85
18	Pennsylvania	Obama	$1,533,084	$120.69
19	Colorado	Obama	$606,376	$120.57
20	Florida	Obama	$2,092,144	$111.28
21	Wyoming	McCain	$60,723	$107.74
22	Alaska	McCain	$75,278	$105.99
23	Texas	McCain	$2,661,676	$105.85
24	Oregon	Obama	$387,458	$101.14
25	Montana	McCain	$98,386	$99.44
26	Utah	McCain	$261,519	$94.62
27	Missouri	McCain	$506,180	$84.52
28	Minnesota	Obama	$448,215	$84.51
29	Georgia	McCain	$705,050	$72.78
30	Michigan	Obama	$718,519	$72.70
31	North Carolina	Obama	$681,270	$71.45
32	Oklahoma	McCain	$248,915	$66.35
33	Wisconsin	Obama	$377,261	$66.34
34	Iowa	Obama	$198,645	$65.21
35	Arizona	McCain	$394,782	$61.76
36	Nevada	Obama	$155,468	$57.57
37	South Carolina	McCain	$238,291	$51.52
38	Ohio	Obama	$567,492	$49.19
39	Indiana	Obama	$292,845	$45.17
40	Tennessee	McCain	$270,139	$42.57
41	Kentucky	McCain	$182,760	$42.12
42	Kansas	McCain	$116,924	$40.98
43	Nebraska	McCain	$66,785	$36.57
44	Alabama	McCain	$163,999	$34.31
45	South Dakota	McCain	$25,804	$31.69
46	Idaho	McCain	$49,516	$31.59
47	Arkansas	McCain	$87,073	$29.86
48	Louisiana	McCain	$125,977	$27.79
49	West Virginia	McCain	$50,595	$27.30
50	North Dakota	McCain	$17,493	$26.01
51	Mississippi	McCain	$52,687	$17.76

Table compiled by Smart Politics with FEC data.

The GOP field, by contrast, has been heavily reliant on ‘Obama state’ money filling its campaign coffers.

Utah – regarded as perhaps the most conservative state in the union – sets the pace with $828 in large donor money given per 1,000 residents.

After D.C. at #2, comes Texas at #3 ($547 per 1,000), home to two GOP candidates vying for the White House in Governor Rick Perry and U.S. Representative Ron Paul.

A series of states carried by Obama in 2008 peppers the remainder of the Top 20 GOP funding list with Connecticut at #4 ($421 per 1,000), Massachusetts at #6 ($375), New Hampshire at #7 ($308), Nevada at #8 ($278), Minnesota at #10 ($263), New York at #11 ($256), Florida at #12 ($250), Colorado at #13 ($220), Virginia at #15 ($210), California at #16 ($204), and Maryland at #20 ($167).

Large Donor Individual Contributions to Republican Presidential Candidates through Q3 2011 (Per 1,000 Residents)

Rank	State	2008	Raised	Per 1,000
1	Utah	McCain	$2,290,147	$828.60
2	D.C.	Obama	$471,825	$784.12
3	Texas	McCain	$13,770,817	$547.64
4	Connecticut	Obama	$1,508,117	$421.96
5	Wyoming	McCain	$232,276	$412.11
6	Massachusetts	Obama	$2,455,571	$375.03
7	New Hampshire	Obama	$405,599	$308.10
8	Nevada	Obama	$752,274	$278.56
9	Idaho	McCain	$415,976	$265.36
10	Minnesota	Obama	$1,399,724	$263.90
11	New York	Obama	$4,972,202	$256.59
12	Florida	Obama	$4,705,777	$250.29
13	Colorado	Obama	$1,106,404	$220.00
14	Louisiana	McCain	$990,403	$218.47
15	Virginia	Obama	$1,685,915	$210.71
16	California	Obama	$7,616,340	$204.44
17	Arizona	McCain	$1,263,297	$197.64
18	Georgia	McCain	$1,904,817	$196.62
19	Oklahoma	McCain	$684,366	$182.43
20	Maryland	Obama	$964,550	$167.06
21	Tennessee	McCain	$984,832	$155.19
22	Missouri	McCain	$911,614	$152.22
23	Michigan	Obama	$1,359,097	$137.51
24	New Jersey	Obama	$1,152,010	$131.03
25	Alaska	McCain	$92,747	$130.59
26	Illinois	Obama	$1,657,983	$129.22
27	Rhode Island	Obama	$134,977	$128.24
28	West Virginia	McCain	$229,820	$124.03
29	Pennsylvania	Obama	$1,489,528	$117.26
30	South Dakota	McCain	$90,336	$110.95
31	New Mexico	Obama	$217,097	$105.43
32	Washington	Obama	$665,961	$99.03
33	Montana	McCain	$94,279	$95.29
34	Ohio	Obama	$1,087,004	$94.22
35	Oregon	Obama	$333,856	$87.14
36	Alabama	McCain	$404,586	$84.65
37	Iowa	Obama	$255,659	$83.92
38	Kansas	McCain	$236,401	$82.86
39	South Carolina	McCain	$382,902	$82.78
40	Nebraska	McCain	$150,171	$82.23
41	Vermont	Obama	$47,714	$76.25
42	Hawaii	Obama	$93,842	$68.99
43	Maine	Obama	$88,182	$66.38
44	Indiana	Obama	$401,993	$62.00
45	North Carolina	Obama	$579,668	$60.79
46	North Dakota	McCain	$39,668	$58.98
47	Delaware	Obama	$50,975	$56.77
48	Wisconsin	Obama	$295,247	$51.92
49	Mississippi	McCain	$152,008	$51.23
50	Kentucky	McCain	$189,939	$43.77
51	Arkansas	McCain	$125,277	$42.96

Table compiled by Smart Politics with FEC data.

Overall, Republicans are receiving nearly as much large donor money from Obama states ($37.95 million, or $178.48 per 1,000 residents) as the president himself ($41.46 million, or $194.97 per 1,000).

By contrast, Republicans have amassed nearly 4 times as much large donor money from states carried by John McCain ($25,636,679, or $266.81 per 1,000 residents) as Obama (just $6,460,552, or $67.24 per 1,000).

Large Donor Individual Contributions to Obama and 2012 Republican Field by State’s 2008 Presidential Vote

Party	Obama states	Per 1,000	McCain states	Per 1,000
Republicans	$37,955,091	$178.48	$25,636,679	$266.81
Obama	$41,461,694	$194.97	$6,460,552	$67.24

Table compiled by Smart Politics with FEC data.

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