Tonight, President Barack Obama will be in town to attend a Roots concert at Town Hall.
It’s part of a fundraiser organized by former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine; 70 guests will reportedly pay $35,800 per head to dine with the president. Ticket prices to the Roots concert are cheaper, starting at $44.
This is the president’s third visit to New York in a month: He raised $1.5 million at a private dinner in Harlem at the end of March and spoke at a gala organized by the Reverand Al Sharpton earlier this month.
While the frequency of Obama’s Big Apple visits “are perhaps unusual,” said David Birdsell, a dean at Baruch College, the purpose is clear:
“You raise money where there are wealthy people,” said Birdsell. “And these are rich hunting grounds for Democrats or Republicans seeking office.”
New York and L.A. will likely make up the biggest fundraising sources of Obama’s war chest as he seeks re-election in 2012, and Birdsell predicts that as much as 25 percent of Obama’s campaign funds could come from here. So expect to see a lot more of Obama in New York this year, he said.
Follow Carly Baldwin on Twitter at @CarlyatMetro.
