Wanted: Democratic Megadonors to Rival GOP Powerhouses

Democrats admit to being behind in at least one race to the White House: big donors.

According to The New York Times,  longtime Hillary Clinton ally Harold Ickes has been hard at work trying to come up with the Democratic answer to the GOP's Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson, Foster Friess and Norman Braman.

But it hasn't been easy, Ickes said.

"Our side isn’t used to being asked for that kind of money," he told the Times. "If you asked them to put up $100 million for a hospital wing, they’d be the first in line."

Part of the problem, the Times reports, is the expected nominee herself. Clinton reportedly isn't meeting with megadonors on her side. She also faces the rules limiting candidate coordination with super PACS, which are able to accept the large sums of cash that candidates cannot.

Another problem: People think Clinton's campaign has a larger budget than it actually does. Reports of a $2.5 billion budget are more than double her actual budget of $1 billion, according to the report.

Democrats also don't see the value of super PACs, Democratic operative Guy Cecil said.

"If we are going to be successful in 2016, it will require more from everyone, at every level," he told the Times.

George Soros has yet to pledge a large amount, but other potential megadonors targeted by Democrats include Walmart heiress Alice Walton, Los Angeles investor Ron Burkle, media investor Haim Saban, and former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, whose PAC has contributed to both Republicans and Democrats.

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