Clinton Fund-Raiser Swing To Sweep Into Hamptons
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The price to enjoy a stack of flapjacks with Senator Clinton will be $500 a person or $1,000 a family during the senator’s first major swing through the Hamptons this season to collect contributions for her presidential campaign.
The exclusive breakfast, which President Clinton is also planning to attend, is slated for August 5 at the East Hampton home of Susan and Alan Patricof, a Democratic power couple and friends of the Clintons.
The 48-hour, six fund-raiser blitz, the schedule for which was obtained by The New York Sun, also includes early evening cocktails with the Clintons at the home of Revlon billionaire Ronald Perelman in East Hampton, an afternoon at the North Fork vineyard of Entenmann’s cookies heir Robert Entenmann, and a reception at the Southampton home of Bernard Schwartz, a telecommunications executive and longtime Clinton donor.
Mr. Perelman’s event requires a minimum donation of $1,000 and is followed by a more exclusive dinner that can be attended for a $4,600 contribution, the maximum allowable under federal guidelines.
The whirlwind Hamptons weekend is a break from the routine Mrs. Clinton has been keeping.
While she has been hosting fund raisers at every turn (she had one last night at a Harlem bowling alley and has another at the Flatiron district eatery Craft later this month), many of her weekends have been spent campaigning, particularly in the crucial early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, where she has been speaking at town hall meetings, attending private talks with residents, and showing up at parades and other community events.
The Hamptons trip highlights just how crucial New York’s wealthy donors are to Mrs. Clinton, and to all of the 2008 presidential candidates. Not only do they write large checks, but they serve as rainmakers who can secure donations from their wealthy network of friends.
Mr. Clinton was the first to mine the Hamptons for political donations and establish the East End as a crucial campaign stop for candidates from both major political parties. Many of the stops he and his wife will be making with hat in hand during the first weekend of August will be to longtime friends and supporters.
A Democratic political consultant, Morris Reid, is one of them. He and his wife, Jaci, are hosting a poolside barbeque at their East Hampton home near Three Mile Harbor.
“We’re going to have a nice old-fashioned barbeque with ribs, chicken, and potato salad,” he said during a telephone interview yesterday. “We want to put together a very informal event where she can let her hair down and really meet and greet with some younger folks.”
He is expecting his August 3 event to net $200,000 for Mrs. Clinton from about 300 guests, including several big-name nightlife promoters from see-and-be-seen clubs such as the Pink Elephant, Dune, and the Star Room.
“She’s going to tried and true friends who can really help her raise a significant amount of money,” Mr. Morris said. “I think she’ll walk away with $1 million at the very least from the weekend.”
Earlier this summer, Mr. Morris told the Sun he anticipated hosting fund-raisers for both Mrs. Clinton and her leading Democratic opponent, Senator Obama. Yesterday, he said, Mr. Obama has not requested that he do so and hasn’t made plans to raise money in the Hamptons. “His folks tell me that they are not planning on being in the Hamptons this summer,” he said. “But, things could change very fast.”
A spokeswoman for Mr. Obama, Jennifer Psaki, said via e-mail that the Illinois senator, who has raised money from Wall Street types such as hedge fund billionaire George Soros and Hollywood celebrities, has no planned events in the Hamptons at this time.
Mr. Obama is, however, leading the pack for contributions. Earlier this month, he reported raising $32.5 million for the last federal fund-raising period. Many political analysts viewed that amount, which was about $5.5 million more than Mrs. Clinton raised, as staggering.
Additionally, his second quarter donations came from 258,0000 people, including 154,000 new donors. That he raised money from such a large base of donors will allow him to make the case that he has support not just from the wealthy, but from those who simply want to see a change in the political establishment.
Mrs. Clinton, who is leading the Democrats in many public opinion polls, is keeping her foot on the fund-raising pedal even with the latest filing quarter having just come to a close. Her weekend in the Hamptons will be filled with schmoozing and stump speeches rather than afternoons at the ocean.
“I don’t know if she’s going to get any beach time on this trip,” Mr. Morris said.