“Sanders, Not Trump, Scaring Democratic Convention Donors”

Bloomberg BNA:

A new fundraising obstacle has emerged this election year—potential individual and corporate donors to the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia have hesitated to contribute because of a possible nomination of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), said Ed Rendell, chairman of the Democratic National Convention host committee.
Sanders has taken aim at big business, calling for the breakup of big banks and a tax on Wall Street to fund tuition-free colleges and universities and also wants the wealthiest Americans to pay their “fair share” of taxes.
Rendell, who was a Democratic Pennsylvania governor and worked with previous DNC host committees, said “there are always a few people that have some excuse for not giving money,” but that it also has been harder to raise funds this year because some donors who usually finance both conventions are sitting them out to avoid any association with a potential nomination of candidate Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention.
However, Republican National Convention host committee President and Chief Executive Officer David Gilbert said the prospects of a Trump nomination are doing little to dampen corporate financial support for this summer’s event in Cleveland. According to Gilbert and state tax filings, the host committee is raising more funds in cash and at a quicker pace than previous convention years. If that is true, it raises the question of whether donors might only be withholding support from the DNC convention in Philadelphia.
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