Reply #121: The money came from the corporations mainly [View All]

http://www.cfinst.org/pr/prRelease.aspx?ReleaseID=164

Large and Small Contributions: As the 2008 presidential candidates are setting records for primary fundraising, they are drawing two-thirds of their total individual contributions from large $1,000 and up donations – mostly maximum $2,300 contributions. Just 21% of the money is coming from $200 and under contributions, slightly more than the 18% of 2003 and 20% of 1999. So, despite the rise of small giving on the Internet, and the emphasis by some campaigns on their small donor fundraising, little has changed overall in the balance between large and small contributions in presidential primaries.

As the chart below shows, the candidates have raised more than twice as much so far as in the two past elections. The top four fundraisers in each party drew most of their individual funds from large ($1,000-and-over) contributions, ranging from 56% (John Edwards) to 83% (Rudolph Giuliani). Among the leading fundraisers, only John Edwards and Fred Thompson received at least 30% of their donations in small, $200 or under amounts. Further detailed information on the ranges of donations can be found in Table 1.