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Liberal Donors Refusing to Back Hillary
Monday, October 6, 2014 11:23 AM
By: Melanie Batley
A number of high end liberal donors are refusing to put their money behind former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her potential bid for the presidency in 2016, amid feelings that her positions do not measure up to their agenda on key issues.
Some donors are seeking to encourage a more liberal candidate to throw their hat into the ring. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren continues to be a top choice even though she has said she is not running, while Vice President Joe Biden, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, and Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are also being entertained as possibilities, Politico reported.
"I have talked to large donors who are not happy with what Hillary represents," Guy Saperstein, a San Francisco lawyer and part owner of the Oakland A's told Politico. "But they're not going to stick their heads up above the ramparts right now and get shot at."
Liberals reportedly see Clinton as too hawkish and close to Wall Street. She has also been seen as not doing enough to champion climate change or income inequality, for example, issues that are top priorities among wealthy Democrats.
A super PAC was launched this summer to try to draft Warren. It has already hired staffers for the top primary states and enlisted the help of a fundraising company to draw donors, according to Politico.
"We want to get away from the storyline that everyone knows what's going to happen," Erica Sangrans, head of Ready for Warren PAC, told Politico. "We want to show that it's not inevitable, it's still very early and that there's still room to push for someone we're really excited about to get into this race, and we think that Warren is that progressive champion."
Clinton's fundraising operation, however, has already attracted a network of major donors, raising more than $10 million since January 2013 and $1.7 million in the past three months alone.
"I think it's un-American," Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and Democratic donor, told Politico. "The big problem with politics is big money in politics. … I'm talking about the undue influence of corporations and the wealthy. We've got them controlling the general elections, we've got them controlling the primaries, and now we’re talking about them controlling the pre-primaries."
Clinton's camp is keeping a close eye on the fundraising efforts of potential rivals, according to Politico. Vermont independent Bernie Sanders, for example, has been cause for concern having made some progress with wealthy donors who prioritize campaign finance reform.
Warren, however, has been the biggest cause for concern among those backing Clinton, due to her popularity among liberal activists and donors.
