Obama, backing gay marriage, on fundraising tour
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is taking his just-announced support for same-sex marriage on a fundraising tour capped by a Hollywood dinner at the home of movie star George Clooney.
The event has raised nearly $15 million, a record reached through contributions from high-dollar donors and from low-dollar raffle participants eager for a chance to share in the glitz.
The dinner combines celebrity, money and a hot-button issue in a manner unseen in politics before. Hollywood is home to some of the most high-profile backers of gay marriage and the 150 donors who are paying $40,000 to attend Clooney's dinner Thursday night are sure to welcome Obama's embrace of the issue.
The trip includes two fundraisers in Seattle and comes a day after Obama announced his backing of gay marriage.
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