Obama leading Clinton as donor to super delegates

By Ed Tibbetts | Thursday, February 21, 2008

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has been a generous donor to the nearly 800 super delegates who could play a pivotal role in picking the party’s nominee, including Iowans.

Obama has given $698,000 to the super delegates through Hope Fund, his leadership political action committee, or PAC, according to a report by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Rival Hillary Clinton has not been quite as generous. Her HillPAC has given the super delegates $205,000, the center said.

In Iowa, Hope Fund gave $52,000 to the state’s four Democratic congressmen in the 2006 and ’08 election cycles.

Clinton gave $5,000, although her PAC donated at least $25,000 to Iowa Democrats running for Congress in previous election cycles, according to the Federal Election Commission, or FEC.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley and U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, both of Iowa, are the only Democrats in Congress from the state who have not committed to either Obama or Clinton.

Obama gave Braley $14,000 in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles. Clinton gave him $2,500.

Obama gave $10,000 to Harkin in the same period. Clinton has not donated this election cycle, but she gave him $10,000 in the 2002 election cycle, according to FEC records.

She also gave $15,000 to U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa, a super delegate who has endorsed her.