Obama bundlers contributing to transition costs

The bundlers who helped President-elect Barack Obama shatter campaign fundraising records aren't finished helping their man yet -- at least 48 of these boosters have donated more than $200,000 of the $1.17 million raised through Nov. 15 to cover his transition expenses, according to data compiled by the consumer advocacy nonprofit Public Citizen.

At least 41 of those bundlers -- supporters who raised anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000 for Obama's general election campaign -- donated $5,000, which Obama has set as the limit for individual transition-related contributions. More than half of the $1.17 million already raised has come from 131 boosters donating the maximum amount.

The emphasis on deep-pocketed donors represents a shift from the general election, when Obama openly boasted about the millions of "regular people" chipping in $200 or less to his campaign, a group that accounted for roughly a quarter of his total contributions. Obama has repeatedly appealed to this same group for funds since Nov. 4, e-mailing supporters as recently as this morning about his national security team and asking for donations. But those who have written checks of $200 or less for his transition expenses account for just 8 percent of the total contributions through Nov. 15.

Minus the $5.2 million in federal funds he will receive, Obama is barely on pace to cover his $12 million transition price tag.

At the same time, the president-elect is also passing the hat around for his inauguration, for which he will likely need to raise even more than the $42.8 million President Bush collected for his 2005 festivities.