Web Stats: Hillary Supporters Not Yet on Board With Obama

Fueled by a 65% rebound in visitors to his website, Barack Obama recently reported raising a near record $52 million during the month of June. This haul represented a significant boost from the $22 million he raised in May when he was still in a heated battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. While the total is indeed staggering, less reported was a recent Washington Post analysis that found that only $1.8 million (or 3.5%) of this sum was given by former Hillary Clinton donors.

Perhaps they are waiting for an olive branch vice presidential invitation. Or maybe, they are biding their time hoping Obama stumbles come November, paving the way for a Clinton resurrection in 2012. Whatever the underlying reason, it seems that Clinton’s most active supporters have yet to rally behind Obama.

The FaceTime chart below illustrates the degree to which the Democratic candidates have attracted the attention of voters throughout the race. The FaceTime metric quantifies the total amount of time voters spent online each month with candidates across their official website as well as their related sites on places such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and Meetup.com. Even though Clinton ended her campaign on June 7th, for the month she still managed to grab 15% of Democratic FaceTime, while the remaining share went almost entirely to Obama.

Further, the chart below illustrates the degree to which Obama’s official website is attracting once active Hillary supporters (defined as those who made three or more website visits to HillaryClinton.com during the final two months of her candidacy). Through July 19th, Obama’s site had only managed to attract the attention of 11% of Clinton’s formerly active supporters.

In response, the Obama’s have recently ratcheted up their outreach to women, hoping to bring this large group of Clinton supporters into the fold. Of course Obama has proven himself to be a masterful organizer and fundraiser, able to raise millions at the drop of an email. With all Obama has going for him at this point in the race, and in lieu of all the baggage the GOP standard bearer (John McCain) carries, whether or not Clinton hold-outs fall in line may end up not really mattering come November.

Comments

[whidbey:]

I suspect the Clinton support is not for sale without a deal. What can Obama give these people? I wonder did you look to see what happens if some of Obama's folks find him a little thin for a four year tour. Every day it is becoming more clear that there is little or no substance to the man, just fast dancing and a clever tongue. I think we lose no matter who we elect but Obama is not likely to appeal in November as much as the polls have suggested in July.

2008 Jul 31 04:51 PM

[JKC1967:]

Agree with whidbey - this guy is really smart, gives a great speech, but at the end of the day is really an extreme liberal. What scares me is the combination of Obama + DEM dominated Congress - yikes!

2008 Aug 01 05:47 PM

[kmb08:]

Hillary has already done more for Obama than any other opponent has ever done for their former adversaries. Most candidates don't even endorse the other candidate until the convention, but Hillary was put through hell just for waiting four days to endorse. Pathetic!! Obama has thumbed his nose at the Clintons, as if he doesn't think he needs them. He's arrogant beyond compare.

2008 Aug 03 04:21 PM