Donors buy into Obama's appeal

At 61, Santa Rosa business consultant Mary Graves has never voted for a Democrat for president.

Not only is she planning to vote for Barack Obama in November, Graves has contributed $4,600 -- the maximum amount allowed under federal election law -- to the Illinois senator's campaign.

"He represents what a great leader does," Graves said. "He brings opposites together. I think we need someone the rest of the world is going to like."

Graves was among hundreds of Sonoma County donors who together gave more than $506,000 to Obama's presidential primary campaign during the reporting period ending April 30. That was more than twice the $192,000 donated to Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and far ahead of Republican opponent John McCain, who received nearly $105,000.

Overall, Obama gathered 63 percent of the $802,756 donated to the big three candidates in Sonoma County during the first four months of the year.

"That's amazing," said David McCuan, a Sonoma State University political scientist.

Local politics lean to the left, McCuan said, but the Illinois senator's fund-raising feat was impressive, especially considering that Obama did not visit the county.

"It speaks volumes about his appeal," McCuan said.

It also reflects the national trend that has established the Democratic candidate as a fund-raising powerhouse and enabled him to reject public financing of his general election campaign. That controversial decision means he is not bound by the $84 million spending limit that public financing would have required.

A lifelong Republican, Graves said she'd never given more than $1,000 to any campaign until her son sent her an Internet video link to a speech Obama gave, along with another link to make donations.

Graves, who described herself as a conservative on interpreting the Constitution and a liberal on social issues, said she likes the fact that Obama is black, saying she believes it's time that a minority led the nation.

"It represents that we're not a prejudiced country anymore," she said. "I'm sorry that we were. This sort of helps cure that."

Obama also did better than Clinton with Sonoma County voters in the Feb. 5 primary election, winning 49 percent to 43 percent. Clinton won statewide, 52 percent to 43 percent, but conceded the nomination to Obama on June 7.

McCain prevailed in both the county and state Republican primary but clearly lost the local pocketbook battle, getting about one-fifth as much money as Obama.

Obama's appeal to independents may be another worrisome sign for McCain supporters.

Tom Shanks, a self-employed commodity-trading adviser who lives just outside Santa Rosa, is a former Republican turned Libertarian who originally donated $4,600 to Obama's campaign.

Shanks read Obama's book, "The Audacity of Hope," and said he was impressed by the senator's "articulateness."

"His intelligence was a standout," Shanks said. "That's a rare enough commodity among national leaders, so that has great appeal."

But Shanks is not totally sold on Obama. He asked for -- and received -- a refund of $2,300 from the campaign after the June 3 primary vote. As yet, he said he's undecided.

"There are lots of issues that need to be addressed," Shanks said. "It's going to be a summary judgement, in a sense."

Many familiar names show up on the contributor lists, especially for McCain. His donors included: Barbara Banke, a lawyer and executive with Jackson Family Enterprises and the wife of wine magnate Jess Jackson; Don Sebastiani, a former state legislator and longtime winemaker; and Clint Wilson, a Republican activist and prominent investor. Each gave $2,300.

Clinton's list included Jean Schulz, widow of Charles Schulz, $500; Zazu chef Duskie Estes, $650, and former Hewlett-Packard executive Richard Beluzzo, $2,300.

Among the Obama contributors were former congressman Doug Bosco, $1,000; conductor Jeffrey Kahane, $1,350; and winery owner David Coffaro, $2,554.

Statewide, the three candidates collected $77.7 million: Obama, $37.1 million or 48 percent; Clinton, $29 million or 37 percent; and McCain, $11.6 million or 15 percent of the California total.

Clinton received 992 individual donations in Sonoma County, averaging $193 per gift. Obama had nearly three times as many donations (2,901), averaging $175.

The ratio was consistent with Obama's national strategy of "bundling small-ticket donors," as opposed to Clinton's pattern of pursuing big-ticket campaign donations, McCuan said.

McCain received 384 cash gifts in Sonoma County, averaging $273 and representing one out of every 1,262 county residents.

Campaign donations to the three candidates were the heaviest from the county's most upscale areas, not necessarily the most populous.

Santa Rosa gave the most, $224,062, to the three candidates. Northeast Santa Rosa, generally the city's toniest sector, contributed $96,747, or 43 percent of the city total.

Obama got more than twice as much cash from Santa Rosa as Clinton, and also won the primary vote in Santa Rosa, 48 percent to 44 percent.

Sonoma, with 6 percent the population of Santa Rosa, ranked second by donating $148,650. Sonoma's median home price is $662,000. Obama outpolled Clinton there, 50 percent to 40 percent.

Sonoma residents gave more money to McCain ($27,566) than did Santa Rosans ($25,380).

"That points to one of his problems in the fall," McCuan said. "Lack of enthusiasm."

Forestville is the only community in which Clinton ($10,215) got considerably more money than Obama ($5,063). McCuan said there are some well-heeled "establishment Democrats" in Forestville and that Clinton drew votes and cash from that segment of the party nationwide.

In Rohnert Park, Clinton ($5,346) had a slim fund-raising advantage over Obama ($5,033). Rohnert Park, the county's third-largest city, has a "soccer mom, NASCAR dad" population that tended to support Clinton nationwide, McCuan said.

In Kenwood, 31 donations yielded $6,350 for Obama. Clinton received a single donation of $250.

In Occidental, known for its green politics, 39 donations added up to $7,630 for Obama and three donations to Clinton totaled $1,100. McCain received a single $1,000 donation from Occidental.

McCain received nothing from Rohnert Park, Forestville and Cotati.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or guy.kovner@

pressdemocrat.com.A database compiled by The Press Democrat Research Department listing Sonoma County donations to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain by community, ZIP code, amount and donor name is available at pressdemocrat.com.