The economic slump and the presence of President Barack Obama will likely hurt Congressional Democrats efforts to raise money for their own campaigns.

From the Politico

Congressional Democrats are bracing for a double whammy on the fundraising front — a recession that may limit donors’ ability to give and a new Obama operation that could siphon off money they might otherwise get. 

The good news for the Democrats? They’re not the Republicans. 

It’s early in the 2009-2010 cycle — President Obama’s inauguration last week marked the unofficial start of the money chase — but some trends are already emerging: There is “concern,” but not panic, among fundraising pros as the economic slowdown takes hold; small donors, like those who fueled Obama’s White House run, are likely to be affected more than big donors; and Republicans will get hit worse, possibly far worse, than Democrats. 

A Democratic insider, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said direct-mail fundraising for Democratic congressional candidates started to “sharply decline” in September and October as “donor fatigue” and the extent of the Wall Street collapse became apparent — but that the drop-off was masked by Obama’s continued success in raising online funds.

Obama showed treemendous fundraising prowess during his campaign and with the power of the incumbency could possibly improve upon the records he set at the expense of fellow Democrats which might give some Republicans a little hope in 2010.

 

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