ST. PAUL, Minn. – Republican presidential candidate John McCain remains a long shot to win California, but party fundraisers say running mate Sarah Palin will score big dollars in the state after delivering a fiery convention speech that boosted her political stardom among the party faithful.
Palin plans to visit wealthy enclaves in Woodland Hills and Pebble Beach later this month for private receptions, and California fundraisers are eager to take advantage of GOP interest in the party's first female vice presidential nominee.
"Let's put it this way: While her speech was going on, I received over 30 e-mails, all of them congratulatory and excited about what she had to say and about her being the vice presidential candidate," said Gerry Kamilos, McCain's Northern California finance chairman and a Fair Oaks-based delegate. "I received eight text messages and eight voice mails by the time I walked out of the convention. I mean, that doesn't normally happen."
McCain surprised the nation by tapping the Alaska governor as his vice presidential pick three days before the Republican National Convention. She became an overnight political celebrity as reporters focused convention coverage on everything Palin, from her voting record as mayor of Wasilla to a revelation that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. The spotlight raised the stakes for her Wednesday night convention address.
"It was like, a star is born," said Marty Wilson, a Republican fundraiser who helped organize a McCain luncheon in Sacramento that raised $800,000 last month. "There's the dynamic of her being a fresh face, and everybody in politics wants a fresh face."
Democrats responded that Palin's speech, at times sarcastically dismissive of Obama's candidacy, has boosted their own fundraising efforts. Obama's campaign announced this week it received $10 million in contributions from more than 130,000 donors the day after her address.
California is a gold mine in the fundraising world because of its enormous population and wealth. The state leads all others in giving to McCain this campaign season with $17 million, 14 percent of his total, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Democrat Barack Obama has received $37 million from California donors, or 20 percent of his total.
"California fuels a lot of the national money supply, so my guess is (Palin) will become intimately familiar with our state," Wilson said.
McCain can no longer collect direct contributions to his campaign account because he will accept $84 million in public financing for the general election campaign. He can continue raising money for a fund that pays for legal and accounting compliance, while Republicans are also soliciting money for the Republican National Committee, as well as party organizations in battleground states of Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Obama is not taking public funds and continues to raise money from private donors.
Because California is a Democratic state, much of the money McCain and Palin raise there will likely go toward efforts in battleground regions. In a Public Policy Institute of California poll released before the convention, McCain trailed Democrat Barack Obama by nine percentage points in the state.
Campaign experts believe the race would have to tighten significantly before either candidate thinks about sinking serious money into California, where expensive media markets are spread over a vast geography. Political handicappers believe Democrats remain in control of the presidential race in California.
"I just don't see her as a game-changer," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. "She may have some positive impact on Republicans by getting a little higher turnout, perhaps one percent or two percent more. The bigger question is, how will she fare among independent voters? I don't see how she can add much in attracting the Democratic side."
Whether Palin visits California more than the two scheduled stops is up to national campaign officials, said Bill Jones, McCain's California campaign chairman. He said the California fundraisers in Woodland Hills and Pebble Beach on Sept. 25 and 26 were planned before McCain picked Palin as his running mate.
"Since that time," Jones said, "the Internet activity in our fundraising effort has increased dramatically, as have the volunteer calls."
Eileen Rubin, a Mission Viejo delegate who has donated with her husband to McCain's campaign, said of Palin, "We love her."
Rubin said she has long been a fan of McCain, and Palin's speech heightened her interest.
"I don't think she could have done any better," Rubin said, "and she did it in a ladylike manner."
Besides holding fundraisers in California this month for major donors, Republicans are trying to tap into their small-donor pool.
After her convention address, Palin sent an e-mail to supporters asking them to give as little as $25 to defend against "Obama Democrats and their vicious attacks."
California Republican officials also sent a solicitation, said state party Chairman Ron Nehring.
Democratic strategist Bill Carrick said that if Palin gives McCain any boost in contributions, it would likely be among lower-tier donors.
"The top-end donors will read polls and look at things more analytically, less emotionally than low-dollar donors," Carrick said. "She's clearly entered into the cultural war in a big way, and there's a tendency for people to see in her whatever they want to."
Call Kevin Yamamura, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5548.
