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Published on: 6/14/2007
Last Visited: 6/14/2007
"My sense is that there continues to be three very strong talented Democratic front-runners, and there's a long way to go," said Andy Spahn, Spielberg's political advisor.
He said the current presidential election run-up was unique in that many of the wealthier, high-profile makers and shakers in Hollywood have been unwilling to back any one candidate,
Billionaire mogul David Geffen, a DreamWorks co-founder with Spielberg, proved an early exception when he came out strongly in support of Obama with a sharply worded attack on Clinton in a New York Times column in February, one day after hosting an Obama fund-raiser that raised more than $1 million.
The entertainment industry generated $33.1 million for federal candidates and parties in the 2004 election cycle, including $22.9 million for Democrats and $10.1 million for Republicans, according to the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C.
Spahn said the fund-raising momentum has intensified as the candidates approach the June 30 close to the second-quarter financial reporting period.
"All the campaigns are aggressively raising money so they can file an impressive report following the close of the cycle," he said.