Wiley Rein's Michael Toner Weighs in on President Obama's Recent Fundraising Totals

Wiley Rein Election Law & Government Ethics Practice co-chair Michael Toner commented on Obama's fundraising efforts in a recent Fox News article. President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign has raised $70 million for the third quarter, which is down from the second quarter, but still ahead of the Republican candidates. The decline in dollars is largely due to the debt ceiling debate which required the president to stay in Washington for most of July. Mr. Toner commented that "online and grassroots effort is much harder for an incumbent." He added that "you are the establishment, you're not someone new. Incumbent fundraising is different and it's hard to raise online when you're a sitting president." Mr. Toner also explained that "obviously the economy takes a toll on presidential fundraising, but the Obama campaign is not on pace to meet, let alone beat its 2008 numbers." He noted that the recent fundraising figures were unexpected and didn't put the campaign in the ballpark for matching or exceeding what they did last time around. "This is very surprising because every president in modern era, raised more than the first time they ran," he concluded.