Obama Marriage Announcement Raised Nearly $9 Million Over Three Days

Contributions to the Obama campaign skyrocketed in the three days following the president’s announcement that he supported marriage equality, as donors opened their wallets and helped the campaign raise nearly $9 million.

Following months of mounting pressure over his “evolving” position, President Obama clarified his stance on May 9, when he told ABC News, “I think same sex couples should be able to get married.” An analysis from NPR showed that after the announcement, the campaign raised almost three times what it had in the three previous days.

“Over the 72 hours following the announcement, donations to his campaign committees nearly tripled,” reports NPR. “He took in nearly $9 million over three days, compared with $3.4 million in the three previous days, according to an NPR analysis of campaign filings with the Federal Election Commission. The numbers include contributions from people who gave at least $200.”

The analysis forms part of a larger examination of gay political giving from White House Correspondent Ari Shapiro. His report compares the climate of 1988, when presidential candidate Michael Dukakis rejected a check for $1 million from gay rights advocates, to the present day, which finds both Democrats and Republicans increasingly eager for support from gay donors.

Contributions from gay donors are seen as critical to the Obama campaign, which this year faces an enthusiasm gap from Wall Street and lags behind Mitt Romney, the presumptive Repblican nominee, in support from super PACS. Gay advocates make up a significant portion of the top bundlers for the Obama campaign.

The Romney campaign experienced its own windfall after the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act. Donors contributed more than $3 million in less than 12 hours after the ruling last Thursday, with money coming from more than $30,000 individual donors.