While other candidates in the Presidential primaries, including Hilary Clinton, have attracted considerable donations from employees at the largest accountants in the US, the Big Four fail to figure among Obama’s top 20 donors.

Obama is likely to have estranged accountants with his sponsorship of the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act, brought into effect last year, but it is rare for a potential president to have no support from the big firms.

Employees from Ernst & Young formed the largest body of donors to the Clinton/Gore campaign in 1996, and Gore in 2000, while in 2004 saw George W Bush received large contributions from PwC , E&Y and Deloitte workers.

According to Washington’s Centre for Responsive Politics, E&Y accountants make up the 16th largest group of donors to Hilary Clinton with $110,000 (£55,000) and are the largest group of donors to Republican candidate Rudolph Giuliani, former mayor of New York.

Former Republican favourite Mitt Romney has the backing of PwC people who have made the 14th largest body of donations.

To see all the figures go to opensecrets.org