Recipients of the numerous e-mails from First Lady Michelle Obama, hectoring them to donate $5 or whatever they can to President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign might be surprised to learn she herself has not donated one penny to her husband’s effort.
Ann Romney has donated $75,000 to her husband Mitt Romney’s combined campaign Romney Victory fund. Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show no contributions from Michelle Obama in the 2012 election cycle. While the Obamas are not as wealthy as the Romneys, both couples are multi-millionaires.
In 2008, Michelle Obama donated a paltry $399 to Obama for America. She did make a generous $2300 donation to Hillary Clinton in a peacemaking gesture to help pay off the campaign debt of her husband’s rival for the Democratic party’s presidential nomination. Those are the only political donations made by Michelle Obama according to the FEC.
Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have each contributed to their respective campaigns. Like his wife, Romney gave $75,000 to the Romney Victory Fund. Obama gave $2500 each to his own primary and general election campaigns.
The Obama campaign has sent out urgent e-mails the past few days seeking more money from supporters claiming the Romney campaign will win the election by outspending Obama in the closing weeks of the campaign. An e-mail from Michelle Obama in the hours before the final debate asked supporters to “dig deep”:
Tonight is Barack’s last debate in his last election.
It’s also the last major milestone of this campaign before Election Day.
This is it — and your support in these final days means everything.
Can you chip in $5 or more right now?
I know Barack is ready to get out there tonight and fight for supporters like you — but he needs you to fight for him, too.
As soon as he leaves the stage, I know he’ll be thinking about tomorrow, and all the work we need to do to win in these last two weeks.
If you’re with him now and you’re ready to dig deep until the end, chip in $5 or more and let Barack know before tonight’s debate:
https://donate.barackobama.com/Last-Debate
If we’re going to win this, it’ll be because of what you do right now. Barack and I can’t thank you enough.
Michelle
A check of FEC records the night of the debate showed that Michelle Obama had not yet “dug deep” herself.