N.H. man is 2 millionth donor to Barack Obama

By Globe Staff

It turns out that the 2 millionth donor to Barack Obama was a heating and air conditioning contractor from New Hampshire.

Ed Prouty of Atkinson got a surprise phone call from Obama himself, and the campaign posted the audio on its website.

"It's folks like you that really helped this campaign work," Obama told Prouty.

"It's a wonderful symbolic moment for us," the presumptive Democratic nominee said of the 2 million milestone reached late last week.

Then, the conversation evolved into a discussion of the sour economy.

"How's business going?" Obama asked.

"Terrible," Prouty replied.

"It's still very slow. We're just hanging on," he said, adding that "this is the worst we've ever seen" in 25 years in business.

"We've got to put people back to work," Obama said, pledging to deal with the home foreclosure crisis, push alternative energy, and turn the economy around. "Small businesses like yours are the bedrock of the economy."

Asked what else he was concerned about, Prouty mentioned the environment and what has "gone wrong" over the past eight years. "I'm so nervous I can't even think," he said.

"We've got a lot of work to do," Obama concluded, "but I think we've got a great shot in this election."

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