Barack Obama will swing into the Borough of Kings for the second time in four weeks on Wednesday to soak up more financial and moral support from Brooklynites.
The junior senator from Illinois — a Brooklyn resident, albeit briefly, in the 1980s — will headline the “Official Brooklyn for Barack Kick-Off” on Aug. 22 at the Brooklyn Marriott.
The unofficial kick-off took place on July 24 at the home of Brooklyn Heights doyenne Nina Collins, where the chance to truly rub elbows with the presidential hopeful started at $1,000.
Next week’s fundraiser, organized by Brooklyn for Barack, should draw a far larger crowd, with tickets running a mere $25 each ($15 for students).
“It should definitely be lively, and diverse in terms of age, race, and sexual orientation,” said Jordan Thomas, a Fort Greene resident and founding member of Brooklyn for Barack. “We run the gamut in Brooklyn, and we think Barack Obama appeals to a wide variety of people.”
Perhaps, but Obama is trailing Democratic front-runner and New York’s “favorite daughter,” Sen. Hillary Clinton, in the Brooklyn fundraising department.
Through June 30, Clinton raised $424,000 in the borough to Obama’s $231,000.
Thomas thinks that’s about to change.
“I certainly think the country will elect this black president,” said Thomas.
Barack Obama fundraiser, Brooklyn Marriott (333 Adams St., between Willoughby Street and Tech Place), Aug. 22, 5:30 pm, $25. For information, visit www.brooklynforbarac… or call (212) 763-4853.
