Big Apple fundraisers raise $4.5 million for Obama

New York, N.Y., United States (4E) – “Sex and the City” star Sarah Jessica Parker hosted a fundraiser Barack Obama Thursday night. The intimate 50-person, $40,000-a-plate dinner raised some $2 million for the President’s re-election campaign.

The dinner was the Obama campaign’s latest attempt to bank on celebrities for fundraising.

Prominent figures in attendance at the star-studded event included Meryl Streep, Aretha Franklin, fashion designer Michael Kors and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who monitored a private question-and-answer session between the president and guests.

Absent from the dinner was Parker’s husband Matthew Broderick, who was at work starring in Broadway’s “Nice Work If You Can Get It.”

Obama told the crowd that he knows he and his supporters have to work harder to win this election than they did in 2008.

Following the dinner, Obama left to attend another fundraising event with 250 people at the Plaza Hotel. Tickets for the event were $10,000. Performing were Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys.

In total, New York City celebs raised $4.5 for Camp Obama Thursday night.