Ga. Democrats can’t move tickets to Obama reception; has the Golden boy lost his shine???

The Georgia Democratic Party’s fifty percent reduction in ticket costs for a reception next week in which Georgians can press the flesh with Barack Obama has prompted some Republicans to ask if the president’s fundraising operation is slowing.

A joint fundraising effort by the state party and the presidential reelect effort, the Atlanta reception was originally pushing three graduated ticket offerings: $10,000 to earn co-host billing, $1,000 for a sponsorship, and $500 for general admission.

But the state party emailed donors on Wednesday to say a new tier had been created for young professionals. This Gen44 offering, said to have limited availability, would run donors only $250 — half the original value of general admission chit.

“If Georgia Democrats can’t hawk a $500 reception with the President of the United States, they’re in worse shape than we knew,” a prominent Georgia Republican operative told the Tipsheet. “Guess their admission last month that the campaign would not pursue Georgia really depressed what little donor base remained here.”

In spite of the president’s reputation as an unparalleled fundraiser, his campaign has been losing in recent weeks the competitive edge to Republican Mitt Romney in the cash dash.

Financial disclosures for the two pols revealed Romney had outstripped Obama in May by nearly $17 million.

The Obama campaign has already said it expects the GOPer’s fundraising operation to win the month in June too, though these early admissions are hedged bets designed to promote more robust giving from deep-pocketed, concerned supporters.

But if the Georgia experience is writ large across the entire country, that might prove to be the case.

- James Richardson