Silicon Valley techies are forsaking Hillary for Barack—and among the defectors are some of Bill's biggest fundraisers. Obama's is grabbing particular notice among the young and newly wealthy, with deep pockets and little political experience. "In the lexicon of high tech, Barack Obama is the next-generation solution," says one Obama fundraiser who once worked for President Clinton.
Silicon Valley approval promises more than cash—it confers a stamp of approval from the country's most cutting edge electorate. "People around here are apathetic; they think technology changes the world, not politics," says Joe Green, a 23-year-old Internet entrepreneur. "Obama is the first candidate people are saying, 'Wow, we should check him out!'" (More California stories.)