"Fund-Raisers, Belly-Busters"

NY Times:

We get even hungrier than usual on Wednesdays, when the newspapers run their mouth-watering food features. Apparently, the campaigns are responding to the same Pavlovian pages with their food-themed fund-raising gimmicks.

Senator Barack Obama’s campaign is offering all of its donors the chance to have an “intimate dinner for five” with him. Two first-time donors and two other donors who give to the campaign between before 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday will be chosen by the campaign for a future dinner with the Illinois Democrat.

Selection is not random, said Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for the Obama campaign. The goal is to have a diverse group, and the campaign is also looking for donors with compelling personal stories or backgrounds—so those who want to join Mr. Obama shouldn’t ignore the “about me” box on the donation page.

The date has yet to be determined, but Ms. Psaki said it will likely be in either Chicago or Washington, and the campaign will cover guests’ transportation.

The John Edwards campaign is also dangling a carrot—err, a pecan pie—before potential donors.

Elizabeth and Bobbie Edwards, the candidate’s wife and mother, respectively, are calling on 10,000 supporters to donate by Mr. Edwards’s birthday on Sunday, June 10. They’re encouraging three donation amounts: $6.10 (for the date), $19.53 (for his birth year) or $54 (for his age). In exchange, donors receive “Bobbie Edwards’s secret recipe for pecan pie.”

The campaign first started the pitch on June 1, and according to an email this morning, it has since received over 4,000 donations. Also in today’s e-mail was a video of Jonathan Prince, the deputy campaign manager, and Joe Trippi, a top Web adviser, trying to bake—and ultimately burning—the pie.

Howie P.S.: We scooped The Times earlier today, posting the Edwards video below.