Sarah Palin was like money in the bank for John McCain

John McCain saw green when he selected Sarah Palin as his running mate.

McCain raised more than $8.8 million in the two days after he announced the Alaska governor as his vice presidential pick, easily his biggest two-day haul of the campaign.

The Republican National Committee collected an additional $4.5 million on the day McCain announced Palin's selection, newly-filed Federal Election Commission reports show.

Barack Obama has raised more than $450 million since the campaign began, double McCain's sum. Although Obama has vastly out-raised McCain, the Arizona Republican is using his Republican Party as an equalizer.

The Republican National Committee ended August with $76.5 million in the bank, compared to the Democratic National Committee’s smaller $17.7 million. The RNC raised $23 million and spent almost $22 million last month.

The RNC has raised $157 million since the start of 2007, to the DNC’s $94.4 million. The DNC's sum was boosted with the transfer of $31.5 million last month from other Democratic committees.

In his filing with the Federal Election Commission, McCain disclosed....

...he raised $47.5 million in August, his most successful month, and spent $40.5 million. His biggest cost was advertising, $18.1 million, followed by postage at $5.4 million, and travel, $2.9 million.

The month-end money surge helped give McCain his biggest one-month haul of the campaign. He raised $6.8 million on Aug. 30 alone, the day after the Palin announcement, and another $2 million on the final day of the month.

McCain had never topped $2 million in a single day of fundraising in this presidential campaign, a review of FEC data shows.

Among his notable donors, McCain received $2,300 from Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) and $2,300 from her husband, former 1996 GOP presidential candidate Robert Dole.

Actors Dan Aykroyd and Mary Tyler Moore each gave him $2,300, and Wilfred Brimley gave $2,000.

California was McCain's biggest source of money, $3.36 million, followed by Texas at $3.32 million and Florida at $2 million. Californians also provided the most money to the Republican National Committee, $1.8 million, followed by Texas at $1.4 million.

McCain raised $2.1 million from individuals who listed their occupations as bankers, investors and in financial services.

A handful of employees at some of Wall Street’s most troubled firms donated to McCain, including $32,000 from people who listed their employers as Merrill Lynch, the investment house that was taken over last week by Bank of America amid the sub-prime lending debacle.

Attorneys gave him at least $1.7 million, and people whose jobs were in the oil industry gave him at least $400,000.

August was the final month that McCain could raise significant sums into his own presidential campaign account. That is among the conditions of his decision to accept $84 million in federal money to wage his fall campaign. He transferred his remaining cash--about $27 million--to the RNC and state Republican committees.

McCain will, however, continue to raise money for the Republican National Committee and various state Republican committees, as they are helping him in the fall campaign.

Obama, whose report had not yet been filed at this posting time, first accepted and then rejected federal funding, concluding he could raise far more on his own. Obama’s campaign aides have said the Democrat raised $66 million in August, a record for the candidate who has set fundraising records in this campaign.

--Dan Morain

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[volunteer]

It is truely scary to think how much support Obama has considering that he has never accomplishe anything and his past affiliations

[hottpics]

Fear - are you kidding me - how about terrified. Supported the Bridge to no where now says she said thanks but know thanks when everyone knows that is a lie.Refuses to produce her tax returns, then there is Troopergate, she was inquiring about banning books from the library and then suddenly the librarian is fired, Does not believe global warming is manmade, although I think that opinion changed last week, does not in believe in evloution, pretty much bankrupt AL as Mayor, she claims she has foreign relations experience because she can see Russia from AL, No abortion for incest or rape. Pregnant teenager, 5 children one with special needs. Encourages people to shoot bears from low flying planes and if they bring a leg back they get money. Uses YAHOO account for business purpose.
Her Religion is questionable I am sure you have seen the you tube video. All of this and she was just introduced to us 3 weeks ago.

Yes, I do believe terrified is the appropriate word.

[Jay]

Obama's associates with terrorists like Bill ayers should scare the heck out of any american.

[Dove]

The status quo cannot be hidden. A status Quo with lipstick is still the Status Quo. Palin seems to be a manufactured foil to Obama-proof a pure threat-- Obama!

Obama is an original. He has an electric charisma that makes everyone notice him... love him; hate him.. but you can't ignore him!!! He has the status quo shaking in their boots!

GO OBAMA/BIDEN 2008!!

[curtis41]

Anyone who thinks about the nuclear disarmament and other plans of Obama has cause to worry about our republic. Obama, along with Biden are the two most excess gun control zealots ever running for public office at this level. Obama would remove all handguns in America, like Diane Feinstein, if he "just had the votes." Obama is even out of step with the more liberal senators in the entire senate. He seems to have an identity crisis and does not know if he is Muslim or Christian. He rejects about half of his own heritage. He and his wife are "separationists" and quite far out of the mainstream America. Why any voter would vote for a very inexperienced candidate at the top of the ticket, and a socialist is beyond me. Governor Palin and McCain will be the agents of change that totally eluded Senator Obama. Obama plans to tax and spend our government into the largest government we have ever seen. This is the opposite of what we ought to be doing. McCain/Palin pose a clear choice to what has become the American Socialist Party. Let's call it what it is.

[Steve Rhodes]

"Obama...first accepted and then rejected federal funding."

That is wrong. I hope you'll issue a correction.

Obama never accepted public financing.

It was McCain who accepted federal funding in the primary, used the promise of the funding to get a loan, and then possibly illegally exceeded the spending limits when he went back on his agreement to take matching funds.

[ShirleyD]

HottPics:

You think Palin's religion scares you, let you not forget about Obama's relgious beliefs, with his 'Uncle" Rev. Wright! Did you forget that?

Watch "The Obama Delusion' on youtube, why don't you Obama folks wake up and see what this man really is! He says one thing, then says another!

McCain/Palin 08!!!

From a Democrat.

[Paul]

hottpics; I can understand your fear. I see a nation in grave danger of loosing everything. We have already worn out our ifrastructure, borrowed everything we possibly could, ran this country into a debt that can't be paid off...condidering all the things that are coming due for replacement or major overhauling; dams, bridges, ect..
we don't stand a chance of ever getting this nation back to where it should be.
Both parties have played a part in this self destruction over the past 3 decades. Unfortunately the democrats have to take the responsibility for the mortgage crises.
Clinton was the one that lowered the standards. Democrats as always...scream racist or discrimination when the lazy low life people of this country aren't given a free ticket to the show. Democrates would rather wear bling, drive nice cars, drink top shelf booze, wear expensive clothing, feed the kids top ramen, charge everything, then default on the loans they should have never recieved in the first place, and blame it on the government or the republicans.
Democrats are such victoms.

I don't like hating people...but I hate democrats who don't have the guts to come out of their denial long enough to accept the truth for what it is and move on. Because if you don't, you just keep repeating the same mistakes.

Now were faced with candidates on both sides who don't have what it takes to get us out of this mess.

Thanks alot for selling out our Country Dems...