The changing campaign landscape
STEVE CHIOTAKIS: While President Obama is out of the country meeting with Irish leaders today, the number of candidates who want to take his job will increase by one. Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty announced he’s running for the GOP nomination. It’s already a crowded field. And the economy is different than it was back in 2008. So the fundraising picture is different too.
Alex Burns is a reporter for Politico. And he’s with us now to talk about it. Good morning.
ALEX BURNS: Good morning. Thanks for having me.
CHIOTAKIS: Thank you. How has the recession changed the fundraising game this time around? Es specially for the GOP?
BURNS: Certainly on both sides, and obstacle in the sort of small donor fundraising that both parties relay on is that a lot of people simply don’t have the kind of disposable income that they had back in 2008 to give those $50, $100, $200 contributions. That might be a bigger problem for republicans this time around since they don’t necessarily have the same deep pocketed donor base that the President of the United States can command. But it’s something that both parties are going to have to deal with.
CHIOTAKIS: And so the field for the GOP is pretty much getting together right now. I mean, if somebody were to get into the race later, maybe later this year, before the primary just ahead of the primary season, do you think they’d be able to raise enough money to win it all?
BURNS: Well, in order for that to happen, that person would either have to be a figure who commands just enormous popular interest — someone like you know Barack Obama was in 2008, or someone with the kind of cache with insiders that they would be able to steal donors away from declared candidates like Mit Romney, Tim Pawlenty. Right now it’s not clear who that kind of person might be short of perhaps a Jeb Bush.
CHIOTAKIS: All right, Alex Burns, reporter for Politico, Alex thanks.
BURNS: Thank you.
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