Obama lost many donors from '08 presidential race

By JACK GILLUM
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has lost millions of dollars in support from former donors in Democratic strongholds and districts that he won narrowly four years ago.

An Associated Press analysis found tens of thousands of supporters who gave Obama cash in the early stages of his last campaign have held out this time. And a handful have given to Republican candidates.

Obama's re-election effort is hardly hurting for cash: His campaign and the Democratic Party has raised more than $70 million for his re-election since July, and the campaign boasts a million contributors.

At the same time, one Republican front-runner, Mitt Romney, has closed in financially in areas of the country that gave a solid stream of checks to Obama in the 2008 campaign, including Southern California, Florida and New England.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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