Throughout the 2008 general election campaign, one of the most frequently reported (some might say over-reported) stories was the rift between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Now that the two politicians have joined forces — he as president-elect and she as secretary of State-designate, have her supporters followed suit?
Well, they’re not exactly rushing to embrace Barack, but there’s some money changing hands. A look at 311 bundlers identified by Hillary Clinton’s campaign as HillRaisers, each of whom raised at least $100,000 in contributions for her campaign coffers, shows that nine have already donated at least $25,000 toward Obama’s inaugural festivities.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee has received these notable contributions from:
- Michael Kempner of Cresskill, New Jersey, president of the MWW Group, a public relations firm
- Blair Effron of New York, an investment banker with Center View Partners
- Hassan Nemazee of New York, a capital investor
- Stanley Chesley of Cincinnati, an attorney
- Joseph Power of Chicago, an attorney
- Bren Simon of Carmel, Indiana, a real estate property manager
- Clarence Avant of Beverly Hills, California, an entertainment producer
- Philip Levine of Miami Beach, Florida, president and CEO of Baron Corporation, an investment company
- Mark Weiner of Cranston, Rhode Island, owner of Financial Innovations, a political memorabilia company
Effron, Kempner, and Nemazee were likely already in the Obama team’s good graces. In addition to their bundling for Clinton, all three raised at least $100,000 for the Obama campaign as well.