Fundraising Watch 2012: Brian Benjamin

This political season, Loop 21 is spotlighting fundraising powerhouses

If there was an official campaign theme song for the 2012 presidential election that all candidates of all parties could agree on it might be the classic “Money (That’s What I Want).” For much of 2011 it was rumored that the Obama re-election campaign would shatter its previous fundraising records of $746 million by raising a billion dollars for his 2012 race. While that now seems unlikely, the fact remains that money—lots of it—will play just as prominent a role in the 2012 presidential race as the candidates themselves. After all, no matter how great a candidate may be voters are unlikely to vote for them if they don’t get a chance to see and hear what they’ve done and what they stand for, or if all they hear from an opponent is what that candidate has done wrong (allegedly.) Media remains the easiest way for candidates to reach a large number of voters and media in the form of television and radio advertisements is not cheap.

The rise of so-called “Super Pacs,” political action committees that can spend unlimited amounts of money, have turned the world of political financing into a sort of wild west only instead of slinging guns adversaries sling checkbooks and trade insults on tv. So this election year Loop21.com will be taking a look at some of the players behind the scenes impacting the political fundraising game. First up, Brian Benjamin.

Fundraising Powerhouses

Brian Benjamin

Age: 35

Education: Brown University and Harvard University Business School

Claim to Fame: Co-Founder of Young Professionals for Change