Changing fortunes shake up Democratic presidential money race
Associated Press
September 30, 2003
WASHINGTON -- The latest round of fund raising has led to a reversal of fortunes in the Democratic presidential race, with one-time underdog Howard Dean now the front-runner in the money chase and former leader John Edwards in the back of the pack.
The overall record holder is President Bush, who has collected around $50 million over the past three months, the most for one quarter. The Bush campaign has taken in about $82 million to $84 million so far this year, compared to around $25 million for Dean.
Dean was close to his goal of $15 million for the fund-raising period ending at midnight Tuesday, thanks largely to an online push that brought in more than $4 million in the quarter's final 10 days. The former Vermont governor set a Democratic record, topping the $10.3 million then-President Clinton took in over three months in 1995.
Dean's fund raising from traditional sources, such as $250-per-ticket fund raisers, has also improved, campaign manager Joe Trippi said Tuesday. He estimated that Dean raised about $5 million at fund-raisers over the past three months, compared to about $2 million in the first quarter.
"I think this quarter it's everything," Trippi said. "It's people mailing in checks, and direct mail. It's the Internet. It's people using the 800-number. It's people holding events."
Dean is considering skipping public financing and the $45 million spending limit that comes with it for the primaries, as Bush has done.
Record-setting fund raising is nothing new for Bush, who took in $5.3 million Tuesday at events in Chicago and Cincinnati. He raised an unprecedented $100 million for the 2000 primaries and is aiming for $150 million or more for next year's primary season.
It is a new experience for Dean, who was near the bottom of the Democratic field in the first three months of the year.
He raised $2.6 million from January through March, compared to $7.4 million for North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, $7 million for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, around $6 million for Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt and $3 million for Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.
Dean took the lead in the second quarter, raising $7.6 million to edge out his closest competitor, Kerry, who raised $5.8 million.
This quarter, Dean was finishing with more than double the total of his nearest rivals. Kerry was expected to report taking in $4.5 million to $5 million, and Gephardt around $4 million. Lieberman was aiming for $4 million.
Edwards was expected to report raising $2.5 million to $3 million, an Edwards campaign official said.
Newcomer Wesley Clark was expected to report roughly $2.5 million raised after only a few weeks in the race. Florida Sen. Bob Graham was expected to be around $2 million.
Edwards campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri argued that her candidate's drop in the money race doesn't matter.
"The money primary is over," Palmieri said. "This is no longer about showing your ability to raise money. It's about your ability to win voters, and that's what we're focused on now."
Palmieri said Edwards focused on fund raising in the first half of the year, and for the past three months has spent most of his time introducing himself to voters in early-primary states. He is on track to meet his goal of raising $20 million by the end of the year, she said.
A poll released Tuesday showed Edwards leading the Democratic field in South Carolina, a state he hopes to win; other polls have shown him trailing in Iowa and New Hampshire. Palmieri said Edwards has improved in polls in both states, and isn't trying to win them, anyway.
Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist, said Edwards' fund-raising fall does matter.
"He just hasn't taken off," Sabato said. "The money people look to see who is likely to be nominated, and increasingly people think it is unlikely that he will be nominated. So they're just not going to give to him under those circumstances."
In the first quarter, when Edwards led in money, his donations came largely from fellow trial lawyers. It remains to be seen whether he can broaden that base enough to move up in fund raising.
Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press |
