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July 10, 2008
Posted: 07:22 AM ET
From CNN Political Producer Alexander Marquardt
At a joint Wednesday fundraiser, Clinton nearly slipped Obama’s mind.
NEW YORK (CNN) – It was announced last week that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would attend a series of fundraisers in New York together, one to help pay down her campaign debt and the rest to help raise money for his White House bid. But a busy day in the Senate delayed Obama in Washington, forcing him to combine two events into one where he was supposed to ask donors to help Clinton as well as contribute to his campaign. Wednesday night, he praised Clinton as “extraordinary” and “tough” — but nearly forgot about her need for funds. After wrapping up his speech to donors Wednesday evening with an emphatic, “We will change the world!”, Obama left the stage to loud music, only to re-appear minutes later to complete his duties. “Hold on a second guys, I was getting all carried away. I’ve got one more thing that is important to do,” Obama said to a laughing audience. “Senator Clinton still has some debt. And I could have had some debt if I hadn’t won so I know the drill.”
He then asked donors to contribute to Clinton on the pledge cards under their seats, calling it “part of the process of making sure that we are unified moving forward.” “That is very important to us, and obviously Senator Clinton would be grateful as well,” he added. Clinton ended her campaign more than $20 million in debt. More than half of that is her own money, which she lent her campaign during the primaries but is not looking to recoup. Filed under: Barack Obama Hillary Clinton
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