[DEBATE] : Once Spurned, McCain Finds Corporate Support + McCain’s Bounce Gives Him 5-Point Lead

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

The Democrats manage to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory
again? -- Yoshie

<http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB122083596543108777.html?mod=world_news_featured_articles>
Once Spurned, McCain
Finds Corporate Support
By BRODY MULLINS
September 8, 2008

MINNEAPOLIS -- Corporate executives, who once discounted John McCain's
campaign, have been key to the Republican presidential nominee's
rebound on the fund-raising circuit, a new analysis of campaign
donations shows.

Since the 2008 presidential campaign began, Democratic candidate
Barack Obama has raised more than double Sen. McCain's haul and beaten
the Arizona Republican in just about every fund-raising category.

But in the months after the two started to square off as their
parties' likely nominees, Sen. Obama maintained only a slight
financial edge overall, while Sen. McCain claimed the advantage among
top industry donors.

Sen. McCain's fund-raising advantage among corporate America is a
stark reversal from earlier this year, when he struggled to secure
donations from executives. In the Republican primary, many executives
backed Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, partly because he is a former
businessman and partly because Sen. McCain has long battled with
industry as a member of the Senate.

According to an analysis of fund-raising data released Thursday by the
nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Sen. McCain raised more
money in June and July from larger donors in 15 of the top-donating 25
industries than did Sen. Obama.

The Republican nominee drew more donations from executives at oil and
gas, real-estate, securities and investment and insurance companies,
the data showed. He raised $22.3 million from the top 25 industries in
the two-month period, compared with Sen. Obama's $19.9 million.

Up until June, Sen. Obama had raised $100 million from individual
executives at the top 25 industries, nearly double Sen. McCain's $52.3
million, according to a separate analysis by the Center for Responsive
Politics.

Overall, Sen. Obama reported a total of $41.9 million in donations for
June and July, compared with $39.5 million for Sen. McCain. Before
June, Sen. Obama had raised nearly $300 million -- almost triple Sen.
McCain's total.

In August, Sen. McCain had his best fund-raising month of the
campaign, bringing in $40 million overall. Sen. Obama hasn't said how
much he raised that month.

Because of his success raising money in the primary campaign, Sen.
Obama opted to reject government financing and to fund his campaign
with private donations, becoming the first major presidential
candidate to do so.

Sen. McCain has decided to accept the $84.5 million in funding from
the government and will be prohibited from raising any more private
donations.

Write to Brody Mullins at brody.mullins at wsj.com

<http://www.gallup.com/poll/110110/Gallup-Daily-McCains-Bounce-Gives-Him-5Point-Lead.aspx>
September 8, 2008
Gallup Daily: McCain's Bounce Gives Him 5-Point Lead
Leads Obama 49%-44% in first results conducted fully after GOP convention

<http://www.gallup.com/video/110113/Convention-Rallies-Republicans.aspx>
September 8, 2008
Convention Rallies Republicans

A USA Today/Gallup poll finds 60% of Republicans more enthusiastic
than usual about voting in the November election, up from 42% who said
the same just prior to the Republican convention.