PE pros give to Obama

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama raised more donations from private equity professionals in the first quarter than Republican John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton combined, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission records.

During the quarter, the Illinois senator received donations from 93 PE pros, whereas McCain raised money from 60 in the industry and Clinton received donations from 25. The analysis only included contributions from professionals at buyout firms with at least $500 million under management.

However, Obama’s lead among PE pros was not as large in total dollars, as many of his donations were relatively small. He raised $106,927 from private equity professionals in Q1, which just edged out McCain’s $100,721. Clinton lagged behind with $37,549.

To date, Obama has raised about $360,000 from private equity pros. Clinton has close to $215,000 in her coffers, while McCain is third at about $180,000.