On the Records: Texas Fundraisers Hard at Work for Obama
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President Barack Obama's reelection efforts are well underway. According to a list released Friday of more than 240 volunteer fundraisers, the Obama campaign has raised at least $2 million from 14 Texas "bundlers" — people who fundraise on behalf of a candidate.
More than half of the Texas volunteers are return fundraisers based on 2008 election bundler data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. CEO Kirk Rudy of Endeavor Real Estate has raised over $500,000 for the 2012 election cycle, Reeves & Brightwell Co-founder Beverly Reeves has raised between $200,000 to $500,000, and Alexa Wesner of Blue Texas has raised $200,000 to $500,000.
The newcomers? Aimee Boone, the former finance director of the Texas Democratic Party, collected between $200,000 and $500,000. Marc R. Stanley, chair of the National Jewish Democratic Council, also collected between $200,000 and $500,000.
Italics = Past fundraisers
| Name | Affiliation | City | Amount Raised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rudy, Kirk | Endeavor Real Estate | Austin | $500,000+ |
| Sepulveda, Eugene | Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas | Austin | $500,000+ |
| Boone, Aimee | Texas Democratic Trust | Austin | $200,000 - $500,000 |
| Reeves, Beverly | Reeves & Brightwell | Austin | $200,000 - $500,000 |
| Wesner, Alexa | Blue Texas | Austin | $200,000 - $500,000 |
| Gorman, John | Tejas Securities Group | Austin | $100,000 - $200,000 |
| Liemandt, Andra | -- | Austin | $100,000 - $200,000 |
| Stanley, Marc | National Jewish Democractic Council | Dallas | $100,000 - $200,000 |
| Aberly, Naomi | HBK Capital Management | Dallas | $50,000 - $100,000 |
| Ellis, Matt | -- | Austin | $50,000 - $100,000 |
| Gail, David | -- | Dallas | $50,000 - $100,000 |
| McGarr, Cappy | McGarr Capital | Dallas | $50,000 - $100,000 |
| Meredith, Lynn | -- | Austin | $50,000 - $100,000 |
| Total Raised (Minimum) | $2,150,000 |
Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact amounts raised by bundlers (the numbers are released in ranges), the Obama campaign appears to be on track to do even better than during the 2008 presidential election cycle. By adding together the minimum amount raised from each contributor, it is possible to get a loose estimate of how well a candidate is being supported.
During the 2008 election, Obama raised at least $3.3 million dollars from Texas bundler fundraising. For the 2012 election, the president has already raised at least $2.1 million. Another potential boost for Obama? The list released Friday only has contributors from Austin and Dallas, leaving the two other high-dollar contributor cities of San Antonio and Houston wide open.
With the field wide open for Obama, and the possibility of Texas' own power fundraiser Gov. Rick Perry jumping into the presidential pool (John McCain was able to pull in at least $7.3 million in Texas), we will likely see even more Texas dollars being funneled into this presidential election.
Several of the Obama bundlers listed here — Rudy, Sepulveda, Boone, Wesner, Aberly, McGarr, Meredith and Reeves — are donors to The Texas Tribune.
Texas Tribune donors or members may be quoted or mentioned in our stories, or may be the subject of them. For a complete list of contributors, click here.
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