If Sarah Jessica Parker's fundraiser for Barack Obama's campaign helped push the president to reelection, fans of Obama have only math to thank.
A new report in TIME offers a vivid look into the metrics-obsessed Obama camp and reveals how the number crunchers settled on Parker as a Dinner with Barack host.
Like the mega-fundraiser hosted by George Clooney in Los Angeles, Parker's Manhattan event was attended not only by a smattering of wealthy celebrities, but by the winner of a contest that allowed citizens making small donations a slim chance at being seated with the President.
But how did the campaign decide the "Sex and the City" star was the right fit? Here's TIME's report:
In late spring, the backroom number crunchers who had powered Barack Obama’s campaign to victory noticed that George Clooney had an almost gravitational tug on West Coast females ages 40 to 49. The women were far and away the single demographic group most likely to hand over cash, for a chance to dine in Hollywood with Clooney — and Obama.
So as they did with all the other data collected, stored and analyzed in the two-year drive for re-election, Obama’s top campaign aides decided to put this insight to use. They sought out an East Coast celebrity who had similar appeal among the same demographic, aiming to replicate the millions of dollars produced by the Clooney contest. “We were blessed with an overflowing menu of options, but we chose Sarah Jessica Parker,” explains a senior campaign adviser. And so the next Dinner with Barack contest was born: a chance to eat at Parker’s West Village brownstone.
The June 14 event was co-hosted by VOGUE Editor Anna Wintour at the West Village home shared by Parker and husband Matthew Broderick. In the weeks leading up to the special evenings, Parker appeared in a web ad and signed a letter which the campaign sent to all of its supporters.
Famous attendees -- including Meryl Streep, Aretha Franklin and Michael Kors-- forked over $40,000 a head to hobnob with the president.
For more on the Obama campaign's path to victory, head over to TIME.
Check out Hollywood's reaction to the election results below: