January 5, 2009
Posted: 11:30 AM ET

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Barack Obama Monday released a list of 53,853 people who donated money to the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition, the organization that has built the administration-in-waiting in the run-up to Obama's inauguration as president on January 20.

The Transition raised just over $3.8 million dollars between Election Day and December 15, it said in a statement, with an average donation of about $70.

It is available on a searchable database at http://change.gov/donors.

Related: Obama transition releases donor list

Filed under: Obama transition


DEMOCRATS RULE!   January 6th, 2009 12:03 am ET

Why are supporters donating? The campaign is over with!!!

Derrick   January 5th, 2009 5:27 pm ET

Ken -how did Obama get elected if the majority wanted Hillary??…Obama and Senator Clinton have buried the hachet and moved on…..why cant you?…and if people making legal donations is 'buying an election' then ok..it was bought..by the people!

Willy Brown   January 5th, 2009 4:07 pm ET

HU?

JOSEPH   January 5th, 2009 4:04 pm ET

He is nothing but a bs artist, you thought bush was bad, wait until he gets done with us. I just hope we don't have a tereorist act in the future. Then what is he gonna do blame bush again. you don't know what you got until it's gone. just remember i told you that you will be wishing bush was back in the white house. God bless us all.

Otto   January 5th, 2009 4:01 pm ET

Hello Ken,
Ignorance and stupidity are the same. As others noted, people gave because they want to and that's not buying an election.

Chipster   January 5th, 2009 3:57 pm ET

Greg,
If Obama is "buying the election," then what would you call it if any of the other candidates won? They all accepted donations because it simply costs money to run a campaign. I was a Hillary supporter too but I gladly joined her in the effort to restore our nation after the past 8 years of corporate welfare and governmental abuse of power.

Throw a little sugar on those sour grapes, suck it up, and help Obama to achieve the goals we need to maintain our children's future, our national security, and our democratic principles.

clifford   January 5th, 2009 3:50 pm ET

Where is the $630 million dollar campaign donor list? That's the one in question!!

Bob   January 5th, 2009 3:26 pm ET

"President-Elect Obama is showing more transparency with this revelation than the Bush Administration did in eight years"

Yep, transparency. And I hear that Vegas is giving 10 -1 odds that we will see that 2008 Election donor list somewhere around September 2012? And Mr. O will state that they have returned all suspicious donations.

Tray   January 5th, 2009 3:22 pm ET

Everyone sucks except for obama!

flybyshoeing   January 5th, 2009 3:22 pm ET

@ The Old Timer, do you really think that this country doesn't try to influence elections in other countries? How much money does the US give to Is real every year? That is the way of the world.

Bob   January 5th, 2009 3:19 pm ET

Why does it take donors to fund the Obama transition ?
I believe there is a "Presidential Transition Act" that was designed to do just that.
So tell me please, why is the great and powerful O raising funds for something that is already provided by the American Taxpayer ? I am starting to wonder what position the top donors recieved for their loyalty ? I mean, thats how it's done in Chicago, right ?

NY republican   January 5th, 2009 3:19 pm ET

Ken – It would be news if the winning candidate DID NOT "buy the Presidency" as people say! Every presidential winner in recent history was the one that spent the most money. Anyway this article was about people thinking so much of the P.E.'s potential that they donated money AFTER the election to help him get rolling.

Veronica Richmond, VA.   January 5th, 2009 3:07 pm ET

I'm happy that the Obama team is doing this, btw, did Hillary pay that 7 million yet? She has 15 days left to do it. Lol

Chad in Cincinnati   January 5th, 2009 2:45 pm ET

Its nice to see a little transparency for a change… and if you don't like private donors then push for public financing of everything political. Thats the only way to throw the bums out.

Bryan   January 5th, 2009 2:26 pm ET

Ken: Your sycophancy to the clinton's is nauseating! Just because Bill and Hillary sold their presidency by renting out the Lincoln bedroom to the highest bidder does not equate BO to doing the same. Donating an average of $70 is quite different from Barbara Striesand and David Geffen slopping thousands to the Clintons! What I am amazed at is I gave thousands to Bill Clinton because as a gay man I was thrilled to have a President who actually thought of me and brought me into the process. Then as soon as we became a political disadvantage we were thrown under the bus! Just like that! (Defense of Marriage act) and Don't ask don't tell) Why because neither Bill nor Hillary seem to have principles upon which to stand just the shifting political sands that will ensure they end up on top! It is a new day! Good bye to the Clintons!

Greg   January 5th, 2009 2:26 pm ET

While I disagree with the statement, it amazes me that you are suprised by people in power buying influence. It's the American way. Where have you been all your life? Haven't you heard of lobbyists?

Should have/could have…

The majority of the population wanted Obama, which is why he is going to be the president. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is tired of of the same old game. (Bush, Clinton, Clinton, Bush, Bush, Thank god not Clinton again) I like Hillary, but it was getting rediculous having two families run the county for the last 20 years.

PS – I'm sure Clinton wouldn't have taken donations like Obama did. Right?

"What amazes me is that Obama is buying the "Presidency", and no one cares.

What I am proud of is that I did not help get Obama elected. It still should have been Hillary Clinton that the majority of the voters wanted for our next President."

BUSH BEGONE, AND NOW 75% OF AMERICA AGREES, FINALLY!   January 5th, 2009 2:23 pm ET

And Bush announced today he will NOT provide a list of donors to his library.

While not required, it would be nice if the shrub followed Clinton's lead and voluntarily provided a list of donors.

Could it be because Halliburton would be every other entry?

18 year old voter from Jersey   January 5th, 2009 2:22 pm ET

yellow dog, I'm afraid you're mistaken. Obama actually accepted a few donations from foreign nationals (which is illegal). Some donations were returned, but others (to my knowledge) were not even addressed because god forbid CNN reported on it like the wall street journal did. Turns out random people in Palestine can help buy the election for the presidency so long as they're helping a liberal =/

Joe   January 5th, 2009 2:15 pm ET

Hey Ken,
Don't waste your time…The Obama supporters will drink the cianide laced cool-aid when he gives them the OK.. All of us that don't believe in the messiah will live happier lives once they follow his orders.

Ted   January 5th, 2009 2:14 pm ET

KEN my boy you can not buy the president spot. stop being so sore about nothing. the PEOPLE gave to this man and his cause. remember by the people for the people. You talk like you believe in communisim so you can chose who YOU like not the Majority. mmmm strange. YOu might want to OPEN up your eyes. Where were u during the BUSH years. Where were the cries of anger then. ?????? I thought NOT. StoP BS YOURSElF

Liane   January 5th, 2009 2:10 pm ET

so? What about donors to the campaign???

Marlon P!   January 5th, 2009 2:06 pm ET

Ken, that's the first stupid thing i've read in the NEW YEAR.. Hats off to you goofy!!

Jackie in Dallas   January 5th, 2009 1:59 pm ET

Ken,
You're a jerk if you believe that the majority of people wanted Hillary elected. She LOST, fair and square, and is getting much fairer treatment from President Elect Obama than she ever would have given him!

I'm one on that list of donors; the first time in more than 20 years I've donated to a political candidate, and I'm proud of THAT.

Robert   January 5th, 2009 1:49 pm ET

to Ken; where do you get off saying Obama is buying the presidency. He received the most votes on 4 November and won the most states. He stated that he would let the american people know everything that he does as our new president. Get off your high horse and support him as everyone that voted for him does.

15 Days To Go   January 5th, 2009 1:41 pm ET

Ken: How did Hillary raise her money? Has she released her donor list? What kind of money would she have had to raise and from who owing from your cynicism would have owed favours had she actually won the primaries which she didn't? Your silliness is endless.

Spoton: PE Obama can not use contributions to his campaign or inaugaration to pay off Hillary's debt. It is against the law.

The way I look at it PE Obama saved the taxpayers 85 million dollars by taking private funds.

To the Haters   January 5th, 2009 1:21 pm ET

Where in the article does it say ANYTHING AT ALL about Obama "buying" the Presidency?!! The American People voted, and they spoke Loud and Clear!! Whether you helped or not, makes NO difference. Obama will be OUR President! Hillary isn't whining, but sore losers like yourself just can't seem to quit crying. Get over it. The election is and has been OVER! It's time to focus on working together for the better of the Country! Is that all you have to contribute?! A bunch of sobbing and negativity?! Obviously the country has and never will 100% agree on a candidate….. bottom line is amidst our differences, there is always some common ground…. being able to take care of our families, pride in the fact the we live in a FREE Country and so on. You disagree with the choice that the majority of Americans made, because we live in a country that allows you to, that's fine. Throwing around false accusations and conspiracy theories shows ignorance. Divided we fall. In 4 years if things are worse than they are now, then you can brag about how you never supported Obama. But when they are better……… enjoy the ol' foot in mouth.

I stand behind President elect Obama, and have confidence that he will do ALL he can to better our great country.

Kenneth   January 5th, 2009 1:17 pm ET

Ken … How many times do you need to hear that Hillary Clinton lost due to an inadequate campaign and that Barack Obama is the President -Elect? Mr Obama IS NOT "buying" the presidency. He has loyal supporters who believe in his message of change. Not only did he run the best campaign in our recent history but he is also doing his best to live up to his campaign promise of a transparent government. He thinks issues through, speaks with his advisers, and then puts viable plans into action. If we have not learned anything from President Bush let's learn that no one man can run this country without sound judgment and the ability to listen to his advisers. Our country is divided not only racially but intellectually as well. Those who hang on to what they believe should have happened instead of embracing and supporting the new administration are not stupid but for whatever reason completely disconnected from the reality that we need to heal our country. The past 8 years have been devastating and our government is in dire need of restructuring. Mr. Obama has the intellect and has surrounded himself with extremely competent individuals who I believe can start the process of getting America back on track … including Hillary Clinton. Stop looking for opportunities to bash our President-Elect and give change a chance … that's all I'm saying.

Kevin R   January 5th, 2009 1:15 pm ET

Statements like "Obama is buying the Presidency" made here show the complete ignorance that still exists.

Obama has done what no other president has done to this level. He has made his Presidency as transparent as the current red-tape allows him to do.

Its fine if you don't agree with all his policies, but you can't deny that he's done almost everything right so far. His cabinet picks and openness have been very re-freshing and even applauded by his opponents.

This is a good sign people, don't let the loss of your preferred candidate blind you to the fact that this guy is 10000 times better than anything we've see in the last 20 years.

Jina   January 5th, 2009 1:09 pm ET

Ken – why should it have been Hillary when clearly voters thought otherwise? Because YOU happen to think so?

Honestly, get over it already. Not everyone in the world is going to agree with you, and to accuse someone else of cheating because you didn't get your way is childish at best.

AUSTIN,TX   January 5th, 2009 1:05 pm ET

ken-Hillary is not president and never will be so get over it. BTW, donors can do whatever they like with their money.

yellow dog democrat   January 5th, 2009 12:59 pm ET

to "Ken" – nobody is "buying" the presidency! you fool! People donated because they connected with his message – just because he didn't take the "locked in" campaign funding like McCain chose to do – his choice – it takes money to get a message across – always has and always will….look at the commercials during the superbowls!! at least we are able to go to web sites and see who donated….transparency as promised and I believe that it will continue to be that way – so now go back to your cave and you computer and come up with another "lame" cry-baby posting!!

Kyzer Sosa   January 5th, 2009 12:58 pm ET

Why is this such a big deal. I am happy with our new president. If he bought the presidency, so what…George Bush stole it. Talk about that.

casper   January 5th, 2009 12:53 pm ET

things are looking up.

sham-WOW!   January 5th, 2009 12:51 pm ET

Sadly, I did not give any funds to the transition thing. I donated an aggregate total of $1,150 during the the primaries and general election to Obama. I've done more than my share. I'm glad that so many others could continue to give.

@ THE OLD TIMER: Your concern is legitimate, but there is no evidence that foreign governments contributed to the campaign. This is internet urban legend. There are US citizens all over the world that did donate to the Obama campaign. These Americans living abroad are entitled by law to contribute to a presidential campaign. Even the RNC and the McCain campaign recieved millions of dollars from Americans abroad.

Steph   January 5th, 2009 12:51 pm ET

Transparency…Yeah! Keep up the great work.

Thomas   January 5th, 2009 12:43 pm ET

I wonder if President Bush or anyone else in the Republican party would ever have done this?

Not a bad start PEBO. Keep up the good work.

Ken   January 5th, 2009 12:39 pm ET

What amazes me is that Obama is buying the "Presidency", and no one cares.

What I am proud of is that I did not help get Obama elected. It still should have been Hillary Clinton that the majority of the voters wanted for our next President.

Steve   January 5th, 2009 12:32 pm ET

President-Elect Obama is showing more transparency with this revelation than the Bush Administration did in eight years.

spoton   January 5th, 2009 12:24 pm ET

release the presidential campaign donor list.let us evaluate for corruption.bill receives 100,000 and hillary give 5 mil

Scott NYC Independent   January 5th, 2009 12:18 pm ET

I can't remember any other President that has done this.

Barb   January 5th, 2009 12:16 pm ET

OLD TIMER you are truly an old timer old ideas old thinking just old. Obama does not need money from over seas, the real American people are proud to donate to him and having him as their president.

Young voter   January 5th, 2009 12:03 pm ET

I think it was the list of donors to his presidential campaign that people were question. Like those articles about how you could enter fake names and addresses with the credit card info and his website would take the donation anyway, and you could donate again with the same credit card but different name and different address and it will take it. But on John McCain's site, it did a verification so it wouldn't go through unless you had the name and address on file with the card.

Not like McCain would have won anyway, but just sayin' how it's not the transitional donations that were in question.

naqib   January 5th, 2009 12:01 pm ET

Wonder if Galt is on there?

J.P..   January 5th, 2009 12:00 pm ET

I didn't realize George Soros had 54,000 aliases.

pam Eugene OR   January 5th, 2009 12:00 pm ET

I am proud to say I helped with that. I also bought an Obama piggy bank from his web site for my grandchild. I believe our new President will leave me some money to put in it for her future.

THE OLD TIMER   January 5th, 2009 11:55 am ET

what about the money the was recieved from over seas or foreign governments…. GIVE THAT MONEY BACK ALSO

Billy J   January 5th, 2009 11:49 am ET

Wow…. now this is actually news! Maybe not earthshattering but news none the less. AND thanks for the change.gov link, I did not know that was there and while I am sure it has some biased toward the Prez Elect, it still looks chock full of info, a welcome respite from the current group of secretive yahoos.

earle,florida   January 5th, 2009 11:47 am ET

Oh yes,once again it's how you define average? I'm curious to know how many were maximum contributions,and by whom,…?

Patricia in Las Vegas   January 5th, 2009 11:44 am ET

I just sent another $250.

Comments have been closed for this article

subscribe RSS Icon
About The Ticker

The latest political news from CNN's Best Political Team, with campaign coverage, 24-7. Sign up for our twice daily Ticker emails. Got a news tip or feedback? For complete political coverage, bookmark CNNPolitics.com.

CNN=Politics Screensaver

CNN=Politics ScreensaverTap into the power of The Situation Room. Download this powerful new tool that keeps you posted on the latest political news from the campaign trail.
Download (4.1 MB, PC only)

Follow us on Twitter

CNN on TwitterGet Ticker updates the moment they appear online via the Web, SMS, or instant messages.
Follow politicalticker

Categories
CNN Comment Policy: CNN encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You may not post any unlawful, threatening, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. All comments should be relevant to the topic and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. You are solely responsible for your own comments, the consequences of posting those comments, and the consequences of any reliance by you on the comments of others. By submitting your comment, you hereby give CNN the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, cablecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comment(s) and accompanying personal identifying and other information you provide via all forms of media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, in perpetuity. CNN Privacy Statement.
Home  |  World  |  U.S.  |  Politics  |  Entertainment  |  Health  |  Tech  |  Travel  |  Living  |  Business  |  Sports  |  Time.com
Podcasts  |  Blogs  |  CNN Mobile  |  Preferences |  Email Alerts  |  CNN Radio  |  CNN Shop  |  Site Map
© 2008 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by WordPress.com VIP