Graham Aides Fret Over Poor Fund Raising
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By RON FOURNIER, AP Political Writer
NEW YORK - Democratic presidential candidate Bob Graham is experiencing serious fund-raising problems that have put his campaign in peril, officials close to the Florida senator said Thursday.
Published reports had suggested Graham would raise $4 million to $5 million in the fund-raising quarter that ends Sept. 30, but he will raise less than that, said three officials close to the campaign who spoke on condition of anonymity.
His fund-raising coordinators for cash-rich California and New York quit the campaign in the last week, officials said. One of them has signed on with former Gen. Wesley Clark, who entered the race Sept. 17 as the 10th Democratic candidate.
Campaign officials said they were raising enough money to compete. "The notion that somehow there is a dark cloud hanging over the campaign is just baloney," said campaign manager Paul Johnson.
"We're full speed ahead," Johnson said, adding that the two fund-raisers who left the campaign have already been replaced.
Graham's political team is more pessimistic than the candidate, who is still peppering aides with long-range ideas for an aggressive campaign, officials said. But Graham may soon have to decide whether to overhaul his campaign or even drop out, they said.
No decision will be made before the fund-raising period ends, officials said, because there is still hope for a rush of money at the end. One of the officials said there won't be serious discussions about the campaign's future until the first or second week of October.
Graham has one of the best resumes in the race: former governor and one of the most popular politicians in Florida, a key battleground state; moderate Democrat, and former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He has been one of President Bush (news - web sites)'s most fervent critics on Iraq (news - web sites).
But his low-key, grandfatherly style has yet to grab the attention of Democratic voters in key states. He consistently places near the bottom in Iowa and New Hampshire polls, and has not significantly raised his national standing as a candidate.
Unlike some of his rivals, Graham has the option of seeking a fourth term in the Senate. He has not completely shut the door on running for re-election, and announced Senate candidates on the Republican and Democratic sides lack Graham's political clout. The filing deadline is May 2004.
Graham may not be the only candidate with political problems after Sept. 30, when front-runner Howard Dean (news - web sites) is expected to lap his rivals in the money chase.
The former Vermont governor plans to report raising about $15 million. That would lift him to at least $23.5 million for the race so far and probably make him the Democratic money leader for the year.
Democratic strategists say Dean could raise at least double what his party's other top hopefuls will collect during the three-month fund-raising period.
Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) of Massachusetts, Rep. Dick Gephardt (news - web sites) of Missouri and Sen. Joe Lieberman (news - web sites) of Connecticut are expected to be in the $4 million to $6 million range in third-quarter fund raising. Sen. John Edwards (news, bio, voting record) of North Carolina is expected to come in below that, along with the other four candidates in the 10-way Democratic race.
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Associated Press Writer Sharon Theimer in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report. |
