Last March, Sen. Hillary Clinton spoke to a small crowd at Houston Hall about the housing crisis. That same month, Chelsea Clinton came to Wynn Commons to talk about issues relevant to students during the campaign. Almost a month later, Clinton held her final rally before the Pennsylvania primary at the Palestra with her family cheering behind her.
But since Clinton suspended her campaign for the presidency last month, many universities and venues across the country have been asking: where's the money?
Penn is one such university.
"They do still owe us some money," said Ron Ozio, director for media relations at Penn.
According to the Federal Election Commission, the Clinton campaign is more than $20 million in debt, including $11.4 million that Clinton lent the campaign herself. $23,953.99 of that debt is owed to Penn.
The University could not comment on the amount that the campaign owed to Penn but the FEC says that the campaign's debt with the University initially stood at $36,781.26. Since, the campaign has dispensed $12,827.27 to the University, bringing the debt to its current total.
Ozio said the University could not elaborate on whether the campaign paid part of the venue cost upfront.
But paying off these debts will take more than writing a single check.
Even after Clinton removes her personal loans from the equation, there is still more than $9 million in unpaid bills. And convincing voters to write checks to a campaign that no longer exists is no easy task.
Traditionally, the victorious nominee of a party takes on the debt of the losing candidate of the same party. This year, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama has asked his supporters to assist in paying off Clinton's campaign debt.
However, recent comments from high-profile fundraisers for Obama have shown little enthusiasm for shelling out for the losing candidate.
One e-mail from an Obama fundraiser assured prospective donors that no money would go to assisting Clinton's financial situation. And at an Obama rally, the Illinois senator nearly forgot to ask supporters to relieve some of the debt.
Randall Miller, a St. Joseph's University history professor and political analyst, said such moves could cost Obama votes in the fall if enough of Clinton's supporters don't see him making amends with the campaign.
"If enough people sit it out, the calculus [of the election] changes," Miller said, "with turnout affecting the race."
When "given the choice," many of Clinton's supporters will likely support Obama, he continued. But Republican presidential candidate and Sen. John McCain's campaign is "counting on" enough of them staying home to tilt some critical swing states away from Obama.
This makes Obama's efforts at relieving Clinton's debt all the more important, as it not only repays Clinton's outstanding debt with Penn, but also helps his image among crucial supporters who could determine the race this November.
For now, the options are limited for the failed Clinton campaign. All they can do is wait for checks in the mail and hope that universities and other venues are patient.
"We do fully expect them to pay," Ozio said, but he did not comment on when such payment might arrive.
*This article was corrected at 9 p.m. on Monday, July 21, 2008 to correct the amount that the campaign owed to the University. The amount owed to the University by the campaign was not included in the original print article.
