$32.5 Million Dollar Man: Obama Leads the Money Primary

WASHINGTON – Sen. Barack Obama has taken some lumps in recent days, with sagging poll numbers in Iowa and New Hampshire. But, in the one primary that really counts at this point in this twenty-four month election cycle, Obama is the candidate to beat. In beating Sen. Hillary Clinton at was what was once considered her own game, Obama has established himself an awesome political force, raising $32.5 million from some 154,000 contributors.

Of course, money does not always guarantee votes. And whether Obama translate this success into a general election victories in Ohio, or Florida, or Missouri remains to be seen. But, it does force the Democratic party's leadership, and leading contributors, to confront the idea that Obama is a very, very serious contender. Obama is no longer an outsider. He is no longer a challenger. Obama represents an established candidate, one whose brand is burnished by $32.5 million freshly-minted silver dollars, the hard-earned bounty of a groundswell of supporters and not merely a select few max-out donors.