Obama and Clinton Seek to Unite Donors in Joint Appearance

By JEFF ZELENY
Published: June 18, 2008

WASHINGTON — Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are set to appear together here next week at a fund-raiser, their first side-by-side appearance since the long Democratic primary battle ended.

The event, scheduled for June 26 at the Mayflower Hotel, is intended to encourage Mrs. Clinton’s contributors to become part of Mr. Obama’s financial team. An invitation was sent on Tuesday to some of her biggest donors, asking them to unify behind Mr. Obama, the party’s presumptive nominee.

Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton met privately in Washington on June 5, two days before Mrs. Clinton suspended her campaign and endorsed Mr. Obama. Aides said the two had not spoken or met since, but their respective campaign strategists are sharing information and cooperating as Mr. Obama expands his organization for the general election.

As Mr. Obama returned here late Tuesday afternoon from a campaign trip to Michigan, he was asked whether he intended to meet with Mrs. Clinton this week. “I think she’s still on vacation or she deserves to be,” he said.

There are several indications that tensions remain between supporters of the two candidates. At an Obama rally in Detroit on Monday evening, Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm of Michigan, a former Clinton supporter, drew loud and sustained boos from Mr. Obama’s supporters when she mentioned Mrs. Clinton. Asked about that moment on Tuesday, Mr. Obama said: “I shut that down and made very clear that Senator Clinton deserves respect. She ran a great race, and we are moving forward because we want to win in November.”

When the Obama campaign announced Monday that it had hired Patti Solis Doyle, the Clinton campaign manager who was ousted in February, several Clinton supporters expressed outrage.

The fund-raiser next week in Washington will benefit Mr. Obama’s campaign, but aides to both senators said it would probably be the first of several events, including some to help Mrs. Clinton retire her debt through new contributions from Mr. Obama’s supporters.