AP Photo Pro-Clinton super PAC sees $25 million haul since July

The super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton has brought in $25 million in commitments since July 1, a senior Priorities USA Action official told POLITICO.

It's a big haul after a scuffling start that left Clinton and her top staff panicked. With the new commitments, Priorities' 2015 total rises above $40 million.


Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, who had been critical of the PAC’s previous efforts, has been barnstorming with top Priorities officials across the country to convince the deepest-pocketed donors to chip in at a time when mid-level donors have increasingly balked at writing five-figure checks to the super PAC.

“We are encouraged by the support we’ve received so far and have strong momentum coming out of the summer,” said Priorities’ head Guy Cecil, in a statement. “Priorities is committed to electing Hillary Clinton and we support all efforts to ensure she has the resources to communicate her positive vision for America."

While the super PAC works to convince rich Democrats that it’s worth the investment, Clinton’s campaign itself remains largely focused -- at least outwardly -- on its standard events where contributors hand over the individual limit of $2,700. Clinton herself will headline at least 20 events between Friday and September 30, the end of the fundraising quarter, according to donors and invitations reviewed by POLITICO. The tour will take her to — at the very least — Maine, Washington, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, North Carolina, with stops in both northern and southern California. The quarter will end with a bash at the 40/40 Club in Manhattan.

As if to highlight the central nature of fundraising to Clinton’s campaign, top bundlers have also been invited to a “Finance Leadership Summit” with Clinton herself in New York on her birthday weekend: October 24 and 25. (Clinton turns 68 on October 26.)

The super PAC’s haul comes largely from donors willing to contribute checks in the million-dollar range – but Priorities is finding itself in a tug-of-war with Clinton’s Brooklyn-based campaign over mid-level donors who remain resistant to funding the outside group.

At issue is a roster of donors that is being asked to give more than ever before to the campaign and its associated political groups, as a result of changes to campaign finance regulations since 2012.

These people are reluctant to fork over five- or six-figure checks to Priorities when they are already pledging tens -- and in some cases hundreds -- of thousands of dollars to the official campaign (and its joint fundraising committees with the Democratic National Committee and state parties), according to a half-dozen donors and fundraisers familiar with the campaign’s plans and the PAC’s struggles.

While the $25 million haul is a significant step in the right direction, the super PAC is eager to ramp up more quickly.

That’s why top campaign official Podesta has joined Priorities staffers, including Cecil, on the road, meeting with prospective PAC contributors in New York on Wednesday and Los Angeles on Friday. Podesta's meetings are within legal bounds, but they are close to the thin line dividing the campaign and its affiliated super PAC. The stakes are high for his tour: it comes near the end of the campaign’s fundraising quarter, as the candidate embarks on a cash sprint of her own.

All the while, say people close to Clinton, both the campaign and PAC would soon like to have enough money for shows of strength in advertising (and sheer fundraising totals) as Bernie Sanders looks to be a stronger candidate every day and Joe Biden mulls his own run.

“Priorities is getting nervous. Super nervous,” explained one Democratic fundraiser, characterizing Podesta’s meetings. “He’s trying to move around the country, and it’s stirring up a lot of tension."

The donor, reflecting the views of other Clinton allies interviewed by POLITICO, fretted that the aggressive tactics would hasten fatigue among tapped-out supporters. “You have this exhaustive fundraising process, and now people are being unceremoniously clobbered with these new requests for the campaign. And then Priorities gets in," the person added.

The central issue is a result of the 2014McCutcheon v FECSupreme Court decision, which did away with aggregate limits on contributions to federal political committees and the national parties. As the Clinton camp has now signed a joint fundraising agreement with the Democratic National Committee and 33 state Democratic parties (as of Wednesday night), donors are effectively being asked to give to each of these groups. The campaign is still negotiating with other state parties, fundraisers said, adding that some contributors are also being encouraged to keep the funding of the 2016 convention in mind.

All told, a small group of top-level donors has been asked to donate $33,400 to the campaign and the committees. And, according to several contributors, some of the most generous Clinton backers have been quietly approached about giving somewhere in the $300,000 range over the course of the campaign.

“Under the new rules that were adopted last year, someone can write a check for $300,000. Some of these multi-millionaires and billionaires, they [are willing] to write a check for $30,000. But if you’re asking a husband and a wife for $300,000 a piece? That’s real money,” explained a veteran Clinton friend and bundler. “Donors want to give to the campaign, and donors get to give more than ever before. And that makes super PACs less useful for Democrats who are less inclined to like super PACs in the first place."

Clinton campaign spokesman Josh Schwerin said, in response to worries about the possible appearance of super PAC coordination, "Republicans are promising to spend record amounts and are even outsourcing many campaign activities to outside groups in their efforts to tear down Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton has made campaign finance reform a top priority, but cannot afford to unilaterally disarm as we work to get her elected to make the changes our country needs. This means supporting Priorities Action USA in the manner allowed by law."

Nonetheless, the campaign itself has not been hurting for cash, even as it has stumbled through a rough period during the traditionally slow for fundraising summer months. Clinton’s team raised the most primary money of any campaign ever in its first quarter — roughly $46 million between April and June.

The same cannot be said of Priorities, which brought in $15.6 million in the first half of the year while undergoing a major shakeup of its leadership that saw Cecil, a longtime Clinton ally, installed. The six-month haul was widely seen as respectable, but not nearly enough: Priorities struggled to get commitments from some of Democrats’ wealthiest backers, on top of the resistance from the slightly lower tier contributors.

“If you’re Priorities, and if [the campaign is asking for $300,000 checks], you’re stuck trying to go after just the really, really big people,” explained one longtime Clinton ally who is active in New York’s Democratic fundraising community. “You gotta go after Tom Steyer and George Soros, whoever."

As a result, the pressure has been on since Clinton’s campaign launched. Concerns about the super PAC’s management reorganization fell against a backdrop of ongoing questions about Clinton’s email arrangement as secretary of state, and as Bernie Sanders established himself as a serious rival. The situation was exacerbated in late summer by the addition of speculation about Biden’s presidential intentions.

In the midst of such uncertainty, said Clinton fundraisers, many prospective PAC donors are likely to keep sitting on the sidelines. They want to make sure their money goes to the eventual nominee, and they see the campaign as a safer investment — especially because the agreements with state parties allow the campaign to buy even cheaper airtime for ads than the PAC would be able to arrange.

Add in pre-existing Democratic skittishness about super PACs, as well as whispers about how a well-funded super PAC hasn’t been enough to save the struggling campaign of Republican Jeb Bush, and the overall picture remains dim.

“There have been some issues trying to get Priorities aligned with the campaign,” said the Manhattan-based fundraiser. “Obviously they haven’t had much success so far, and I don’t know if it’s getting any better."