Hillary Clinton raises $600,000 at Louisville fundraiser in red Kentucky [View All]

[DeepModem Mom]

WP blog: The Fix
by Chris Cillizza
Hillary in the Bluegrass State

For those questioning whether Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) should be considered the frontrunner for the 2008 Democratic nomination, look no further than her weekend trip to Kentucky -- the so-called Bluegrass state that has become decidedly "Red" over the past decade.

Clinton journeyed to the "Purple" island of Louisville to headline a Saturday night event that drew 2,000 attendees and raked in better than $600,000 for the state's Democratic Party -- the largest take from a single fundraiser in the history of the Kentucky Democratic Party. Hillary's haul is all the more impressive given that Republicans currently dominate the state's political scene, controlling the governorship, both U.S. Senate seats and five of six House seats. President Bush won the Bluegrass State in 2004 by 20 percent over John Kerry.

HRC backers say the majority of the dollars came from individuals, with local party groups from 99 of the state's 120 counties paying for a table at the event. The remaining 21 counties had a representative in attendance, the sources said.

The ability to travel to a red state and deliver such a huge cash total is a trait that only Clinton has among those Democrats considering a 2008 White House race. And while money may not buy happiness, it certainly does buy political loyalty. As she travels the country raising dollars for candidates and party committees, Clinton is accumulating a huge number of chits that she can call in should she run for president....

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If HRC continues to show financial strength in areas where Democrats have not been able to raise much money in the past decade, it could counter the argument that she cannot mount a true national campaign -- one that would require fundraising outside of the traditionally "blue" coastal states.

http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/thefix/