WASHINGTON — Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton plan to meet with some of her top contributors next week in an effort to calm donors who remain frustrated with Obama’s campaign.
The meeting is set for June 26 in Washington, several top Clinton fundraisers said Tuesday.
Among other things, the donors want to make sure Obama knows that in order to get their help he needs to help Clinton pay down her campaign debt. Obama cannot use his campaign money to help Clinton with her debt, which includes at least $11 million of her own money. But he can encourage his donors to contribute to her campaign.
The two fundraisers who discussed the meeting said many donors also are furious that Obama’s campaign hired Patti Solis Doyle as chief of staff to Obama’s eventual running mate, calling it a slap in the face to Clinton and an implicit acknowledgment that she would not be on the ticket with him.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton said Solis Doyle’s hiring has no implications for the running mate selection.
