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Small-dollar donors a boon for Democrats


Published: April 10, 2008 at 7:45 PM
PALM SPRINGS, Calif., April 10 (UPI) -- Small-dollar donors are largely keeping presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the race for the White House, campaign finance records show.

In a report Thursday, The Boston Globe called Edith Allen of Palm Springs, Calif., a typical donor. She has given Clinton $365 through February, and plans to give again before the April 22 Pennsylvania primary -- which is widely regarded as crucial to determining the outcome of the race for the Democratic nomination.

"I help as much as I can -- 100 there, 15 there, 10 there," said Allen, who has never before donated to a politician. "It's a big deal for me."

Allen is among hundreds of thousands of low-dollar donors this election cycle, the newspaper said.

Through February, Clinton and Obama had raised a combined $109.4 million in primary campaign funds from contributors giving $200 or less, said The Campaign Finance Institute, a non-partisan Washington research center.

Obama raised $76.3 million to Clinton's $33.1 million, the Finance Institute said.


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CLINTON CAMPAIGN ELTON JOHN
Elton John (L) embraces Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) after performing at campaign benefit at Radio City Hall in New York on April 9, 2008. (UPI Photo/Andrew Theodorakis/POOL)
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