About the Author:  To change this standard text, you have to enter some information about your self in the Dashboard -> Users -> Your Profile box. Read more from this author

The leading Democrats have over twice as much money in the bank as their Republican counterparts. According to the Federal Election Commission reports released early this week, Clinton and Obama have a combined $65.9 million to spend, while the Republican trio of Giuliani, Thompson and Romney have $27.9.

What are the causes of this disparity?

1. Unprecedented enthusiasm/contributions from the Democrats: As Giuliani put it, the ability of Democrats to raise money this year has been “phenomenal.” To put it in perspective, consider these points from RCP blogger Tom Bevan:

- Hillary Clinton has raised nearly as much money by herself as the entire 10-person Democratic field had raised at this same point four years ago.

- Overall, Democrats have increased their cash intake by 159% versus the same period in 2003, and they’ve increased their primary spending by an equally impressive 133%.

2. Republican discontent with the Bush administration and the Republicans in Congress: Many conservatives eagerly awaited the new wave of GOP presidential candidates, hoping for someone fresh. But judging by their pocket books, they haven’t been too excited about what they’ve seen. According to the Washington Post, “more than a third of the top fundraisers who helped elect George W. Bush president remain on the sidelines in 2008.” In fact, “more than two dozen have actually made contributions to Democrats.”

Should the GOP be concerned?

Of course the Republicans aren’t excited about trailing in the funds race, but they aren’t ready to push the panic button yet. USA Today quoted Frank Donatelli, a GOP strategist who was a senior adviser to Bob Dole during his 1996 presidential race, as saying that “Democrats are enjoying an early fundraising advantage because the political party out of the White House always develops an interest in the race earlier than the party in power.” Once Democrats get closer to selecting their party’s nominee, Donatelli predicts that “conservatives are going to belatedly take a harder look at the candidates and participate more fully.”

And Scott Reed, a Republican strategist told the NY Times that “the bright side is that next spring, the Republicans will have plenty of money to give the candidate who goes up against Hillary Clinton.”

Assuming it is Hillary they are going up against, Republicans are going to have to battle hard in New York, the Mid Atlantic and California. Below is a map showing the number of Clinton donors by zipcode for the 3rd quarter. The five areas with the highest support are New York City, Washington DC, Chevy Chase MD, Bethesda MD, and Beverly Hills CA.

Since most polls show Giuliani as the leading Republican, let’s take a look at his highest areas of support. The top five locations are New York City, Dallas TX, Greenwich CT, Saratoga Springs NY, and Houston TX.

Popularity: 5% [?]