If Money Talks, It’s Saying ‘Obama’

Coloradans donated $929,780 to seven Democratic presidential candidates in the fundraising cycle that ended March 31 — but more than 60 percent of it, $565,077 went to the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

If money talks, Colorado Democrats are shouting for Obama. The Illinois senator collected more than three times as much as the second place candidate, a surprisingly strong showing of $151,700 for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.Former South Carolina Sen. John Edwards raised more in the state — $77,850 — than did national frontrunner Hillary Clinton, $73,935. Christopher Dodd raised $47,000; Joe Biden, $10,600 and Dennis Kucinich, $3,618.

In all, 942 individuals gave money to the candidates during this cycle, 522 of them supporting Obama. Richardson had 146 different individual donors; Edwards, 122; Clinton, 96; Dodd, 40; Biden, 13; and Kucinich, 3.

Relatively speaking, Colorado giving is most important to the Richardson and Obama campaigns. Coloradans’ donations to Richardson amounted to 2.4 percent of the total he raised nationally ($6,249,354). Coloradans’ donations to Obama represented 2.2 percent of his national total ($25,797,721).